THE LINEAGE
by Akeays
Summary: Third story in the line. Co-written by Keays and InsideOutlaw. Should read Twist of Fate and Ghosts first. Heyes and the Kid are off on another adventure to help their friend Jesse establish the lineage of his promising foundation sire.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE – BIRTH OF A PRINCESS**

**Brookswood, Colorado**

**Early Spring - 1892**

"Wake up, Sleepy-head!"

"Hmmmm..."

"Come on! Daylight's wasting. You have things to do."

"Mmm hmmm."

A gentle movement on the bed beside him was followed by a lovely feminine scent and long hair tickling him. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and he smiled sleepily, relishing her warm, first thing in the morning essence.

"Come on, get up." She persisted, giving him a gentle shake. "I'll get the coffee on."

Heyes yawned and stretched, still not willing to open his eyes. He snuggled back into the pillow and pulling the quilt up over his shoulders again he allowed himself to drift back into unconsciousness.

Another gentle shaking and he was pulled away from the cozy warm dream that was instantly forgotten. He smelled coffee.

"Hannibal, come on." The persistent voice persisted. "It's getting late. You know you're meeting with Jesse this morning; time to get up."

Another big yawn followed by a heavy sigh. He felt the mattress shift as a heavenly body sat down beside him and ran her fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes to slits and smiled a sleepy smile.

"You silly," she accused him. "You're not twenty years old anymore. How can you expect to be playing poker until the wee hours and still get up for a 10:00 a.m. appointment?"

"I know." He mumbled as he shifted onto his back and stretched again. "It was just too good a game to walk away from."

"Of course it was." She teased. "Coffee and oatmeal are ready so no more excuses. Time I got our daughter up for school."

Heyes nodded and smiled, his eyes closed again. "Alright. I'm up."

"Ah huh. I'll believe that when I see it."

He felt her stand up and leave the room and he was left in blessed quiet. He started to drift off again but a sudden weight on his chest woke him up, and the purring started. He opened his bleary eyes to find himself staring into the large green orbs of the resident feline. She smiled when she knew he was acknowledging her and her purring intensified.

"Don't you have a mouse to go catch?" He asked her.

"Ack!" Purr, purr, purr.

The needling started. Heyes sighed. "Why don't you go talk to Miranda about getting you some breakfast?"

"She's already eaten," came the distant voice from the kitchen.

Heyes groaned. So much for that idea. Oh well. With a stretch and another big, battle weary sigh he pulled himself out of the warm cozy cocoon and got out of bed. Mouse jumped down and flicking her tail trotted out to the kitchen. Heyes thought absently that she seemed to be gaining some weight.

By the time Heyes had dressed and completed his morning toiletries his two favorite ladies were already sitting down to breakfast.

"Good morning." He greeted them as he came into the kitchen. He was feeling a little more awake now.

"Good morning Papa!" His little angel returned the greeting and then giggled excitedly.

Heyes grinned as he sat down. "You really like calling me that, don't you?"

"Yes Papa!" She laughed again, and pushing off her chair she ran around the table to her Pa and gave him a big hug.

"Well that's just fine." Heyes assured her, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. "You just keep on calling me that. I like the sound of it too."

"I love you, Papa."

Heyes' dimples danced and he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too, Sally. Now off you go, back to your chair. You don't want to be late for school."

Miranda smiled at the exchange between her husband and their new daughter. Life had changed for her so quickly over this past year that she hardly had a chance to catch her breath. It seemed as though she had waited a life-time for Hannibal to make up his mind about what direction he was going to take, but once that mind was made up, he hadn't wasted any time putting words into action.

Miranda had to admit that the letter Hannibal had received from Abi had at first caused her concern. The fact that Joan Baines had died and that Amy would most likely not be returning to the scene of the crime, Randa had feared that her fiancé would start to have regrets. It was not to be, however, and Hannibal had been quick to put Randa's concerns to rest. It was over between him and Abi and despite the new events, neither of them had any intentions of rekindling the romance.

The Heyes/Thornton engagement had been short and joyous, their marriage ceremony small and intimate. Christmas Eve would never be the same again and it was fortunate that the weather had co-operated for the gathering. Only family and close friends had attended at the small church in town and the reception had been a fine dinner and dancing over in the hotel's large dining room reserved for that special occasion.

Kenny and his family had made the trip over to Brookswood again for the wedding as had Lom and Martha. Clementine of course was also in attendance, coming to town with the Granger's. Wheat and Kyle were there too, and Harry Briscoe with his new fiancée, Isabelle. It seemed that everybody was getting married these days and the numerous guests should perhaps simply take up semi-permanent residences to avoid the repeated travelling back and forth. Heyes had suffered some playful ribbing that he was so impatient to get married that he couldn't wait until the following summer and make things easier on everybody. Jed had commented that this was typical Heyes; always had to do things the hard way.

The Gibson's were there, of course, since they were not only close friends with the groom, but also relatives of the bride. Tricia actually stood up beside her cousin as the Matron of Honor. Jed naturally held the equivalent position for his cousin, standing up as Best Man while a gradually recovering Beth glowed with pleasure at the coming together of these families.

Carl Jacobs and Joe Morin were also in attendance. Carl decided that the town could manage well enough without a law officer officially on duty at least for a couple of hours. Christmas Eve tended to be a quiet, family time at home anyways, New Year's Eve being the trouble-maker. In any case, their whereabouts were well known if anything did come up and nobody was too terribly worried about it.

Jesse and Belle were pleased to see their indomitable friend finally settling down and taking some positive steps towards a good life. They were also privately relieved at not having to be too involved with the organizing of this wedding. It was just so nice for a change to be able to sit back and enjoy the festive spirit without all the stresses of being the ones in charge! Of course, Belle and Tricia had done their share of decorating the church, getting out the invitations, and making sure that the reception dinner was being prepared properly; but that was a walk in the park compared to being in charge of the whole operation.

Nathan was given the honor of ring bearer and he handled the responsibility with flying colors. Sally was pleased as punch for more than one reason on this particular day. Sister Julia had again escorted her to not only attend the wedding, but to also stand in as Miranda's flower girl. Then, when it came time to sign the marriage certificates, the newly married couple took great pleasure in signing the adoption forms as well.

Sister Julia was pleased to return to Laramie without the child and the child, though she would certainly miss the Sisters and her friends at the orphanage, was ecstatic to be going to her new home to begin a new life with her new parents. The honeymoon would be put on hold until the following summer!

Yes, it had been a whirlwind but it had been wonderful. The joyous occasion had brought new life and gaiety into the town after the troubles of the previous summer and everyone was ready for the normality of family life once again.

The previous summer had ended with Beth being as good as her word. Before the chill of autumn had yet to take hold, the Jordan extended family had gathered together near the front of the rapidly developing Curry homestead and the couple had planted a peach tree. It had been a somber occasion but it had also brought with it an up-lifting of spirit and a renewing of hope. And though Beth had cried and Jed had held her close, both ended up smiling through their sadness and felt the weight of despair lift from their shoulders.

Thanksgiving was a time of rejoicing. Although Bridget and Steven had not made the trip up, intending to come at Christmas for the wedding instead, it was still a very homey and comforting day spent at the Double J. Hannibal and Miranda were almost sickening in their flirtations and J.J. made a point of imitating stomach upset every time they got carried away. Everyone else just laughed and teased them while the newly betrothed couple soaked it all in with good humor.

Even without the wedding ceremony, Jesse would never forget that Christmas mainly because it differed so much from the one before. He'd never forget those months of padding around inside that big ranch house with no one for company but the cat. He smiled with fond remembrance at his eldest daughter's attempts to make that Christmas a joyous time despite the obvious absence of so many loved ones.

Now, in this year, everyone was home! The weather had been accommodating and the Granger's and the Curry's and the Heyes' had all been able to attend the large gathering out at the Double J. Belle was saved the work of having to put on a large dinner as they had all the leftovers from the reception of the night before. Indeed, it might as well have been a second wedding reception with pretty much the same people showing up for the holiday as showed up for the nuptials. Carl Jacobs and Joe Morin had their own families to celebrate the day with and Harry and Isabelle also opted to spend the day with Isabelle's family. Heaven only knows what her folks thought of Harry, but at least he was a man and he continued to be interested. He was also employed and that didn't hurt.

Only Heyes had a moment of sadness wash over him at a time when he thought no one else was looking. For him, this Christmas would have to settle for being a close second. Even though everything had been in such an upheaval, the previous Christmas spent in the presence of his daughter could never be surpassed.

But he didn't allow the sadness to linger because he didn't want it to mar the joys that this Christmas were bringing him. He smiled over at his wife, watching her while she knelt on the floor to help their new daughter open a particularly large gift from her grandma and grandpa. No, he wouldn't let sad memories mar this day. He would always hold Anya and Abi dear to his heart, but this was a new day and a new life and it was time to start making those 'better memories'.

Heyes was standing quietly, leaning against the entrance way to the family room and watched the controlled craziness of the younger generation opening their gifts. He glanced up and smiled as the Kid approached him, a grin on his own face and a laughing twinkle in his blue eyes. Both men were sporting cups of spiced wine and were feeling rather warm and toasty inside.

"Well Heyes..."

"Hmm?"

"Sure would be nice to spend Christmas with a family again."

Heyes' dimples became crevices as his whole face exploded in a grin. "Yeah Kid." He agreed as they tapped their cups together. "Sure would."

Belle caught their eyes and smiled warmly over at them. Everything was turning out just as it should.

Most appropriately, Easter had brought with it new life and new hope. Jed and Beth were ecstatic to announce that they were expecting once again. That rejoicing was then doubled when Bridget and Steven also made an announcement of a similar state of affairs. David and Tricia simply smiled at each other and decided to leave their news for another day.

Meanwhile, Heyes and Jed had some professional success with their new business, and were often getting minor jobs of testing a new safe or checking out a new security system. Heyes suspected that much of it was simply due to their reputations and they were being hired because people wanted the prestige of being able to say that 'Hannibal Heyes himself had tested this safe' or 'none other than Kid Curry went over the security plans.' Jesse had chosen to look at it another way; Heyes and Curry had been the best at what they had done and it only made sense to hire the best in their new chosen line of work.

Well, okay. The boys were willing to go along with this more complimentary point of view. But whatever the reasons, their small business was doing well and showed promise for the years to come. Often it was Jed who would travel to various local towns to check things out, but if it was something that definitely required a self-proclaimed genius; Heyes would get permission from his various 'guardians' and get a chance to spread his own wings.

The opportunity to play in some rather high-stakes poker games also presented themselves in the guise of an investigation if a saloon or gambling hall manger suspected games were being rigged. It would also be safe to say that between working for Lom and working for Heyes, Wheat and Kyle were kept quite busy in their new professions as undercover outlaws.

Yes, indeed, this past year had gone by in a whirlwind and Miranda poured a cup of coffee for her husband as she thought about how happy she was—happier than she'd been in a long, long time. She handed him the coffee over the table and then spooned out a hefty serving of oatmeal into a bowl and took it around to place in front of him. She turned to go back to her own chair when she felt Hannibal grab hold of her wrist and stop her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded. "I haven't had my morning sugar yet."

Randa smiled and turned back to him. He pulled her down and they kissed lovingly on the mouth. Sally giggled.

"I love you, you know." Heyes told her.

"I know." Miranda smiled down at him. "I love you too."

"Love you three!" Sally piped in.

Both parents smiled over at her. Then Miranda straightened up and took on a stern air.

"Hurry up you." She insisted. "Finish your breakfast, then it's off to school with you."

"Yes, Mama!"

Fifteen minutes later a knock sounded on the front door and Sally was hustled off with her lunch bucket to walk the short distance to the school house accompanied by her new friends.

Miranda returned to the kitchen and pouring herself a second cup of coffee sat down with a sigh. "Oh, my! Mornings are so crazy."

"You're doing fine." Heyes assured her. "You're a wonderful mother, especially since it was on such short notice."

Miranda laughed. "I have a feeling that being married to you means that a lot of things are going to be on short notice."

Heyes smiled and nodded as he finished up his oatmeal. "I have a feeling you're probably right about that."

Miranda smiled lovingly at him as she sipped her coffee. "Would you like me to make you anything more?" She asked him. "Some eggs, or..."

"No, no," Heyes assured her. "This is fine. I'm not that hungry. I'll probably get something with Jesse anyways. He's up a lot earlier than I am these days and will probably be ready for a snack."

"What does he want to talk to you about?" Randa asked him. "Did he say?"

"No," Heyes admitted. "Just that he wanted to hire me in my capacity as a detective." He shrugged. "I have no idea what he has in mind."

"Hmm, very mysterious."

"Yes."

"More coffee?"

"No," Heyes grinned like the devil himself. "I want more sugar."

Heyes walked into the cafe with his thumbs nestled comfortably in his gun belt; he stopped and surveyed the interior of the establishment. A number of the tables had patrons sitting down and enjoying a tasty brunch and Heyes smiled greetings to the numerous people whom he had come to know here. Movement caught his eye over at a far table and he acknowledged his friend and headed over that way.

"Hannibal, there you are." Jesse greeted him. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure." Heyes agreed as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "How's everyone at home?"

Jesse smiled as he caught the waitress's eye and she headed for the coffee pot. "You have to stop referring to the Double J as your home." He reminded his younger friend. "You live in town now."

"I know." Heyes admitted. "I suppose the Double J is always going to feel like home. Living in town just seems like...well, like I'm in a hotel."

"Morning," the waitress greeted the new customer as she placed a coffee cup in front of him, "You want anything else besides coffee?"

"No, that's fine." Heyes flashed his dimples.

Claire sighed inwardly—what a shame he was married now. Not that Hannibal had ever indicated anything more than friendly acknowledgment where she was concerned, but a girl can dream, can't she?

"How about you, Mr. Jordan," she pulled her eyes away from the dimpled one, "you like anything else?"

"Yeah," Jesse contemplated, "how about one of those apple danishes you make. Those are good."

Claire smiled with the compliment. "Sure."

"Oh." Heyes perked up.

"You want one, Han?" Jesse asked him.

"Yeah," Heyes admitted, "those are good. Didn't you win for best pastries at the 4th of July celebrations?"

"Yes I did." Claire puffed up with pride, but then deflated again. "That was a fun day until everyone started throwing up. My pastries kind of got forgotten about after that."

"Oh." Heyes tried to hide his smile as he and Jesse exchanged a look. "Well, I'm sure everyone appreciates them now."

"I guess." She agreed as she headed back to the kitchen to procure their treats. "They do seem to be selling out now."

Heyes sighed quietly once she was out of ear-shot. "Seems that was a bad day for everyone."

"Yeah," Jesse agreed. "Thank goodness it's over and done with now though. Beth is pretty happy these days and can't wait for the new arrival to put in an appearance."

"Oh I know!" Heyes rolled his eyes. "Kid's on cloud nine. He's going to be insufferable once the little tyke actually gets here."

Claire showed up then with the two apple danishs and plucked them down on the table. "There ya' go. Enjoy. More coffee?"

"Sure."

"That'd be fine."

Claire poured more coffee and then discreetly disappeared. The two men tucked in to their danish.

"All things considered I'm hesitant to give you this job right now." Jesse admitted over a mouthful. "I don't think Jed wants to leave Beth's side after what happened last time. But if we wait until after the child arrives, well he probably won't want to leave her side then either. It's a bit of a dilemma."

Heyes shrugged. "Why would he have to leave her side at all?" He asked. "Is it that risky a job?" He was somewhat incredulous with this question, not imagining that Jesse would ever give him a job to do that was inherently dangerous.

"Oh, no!" Jesse quickly assured him. "I can't see it being a problem that way. It's just that the two of you work well together and this might take a bit of digging."

"Hmm." Heyes mumbled over his mouthful. "Digging for what?"

"Well, as you know, we'll be putting Ned out with his own band of mares next year." Jesse explained. "I'm very optimistic of the quality of foals we'll be getting from him."

"Yeah," Heyes nodded. This was common knowledge so he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"As you also know some of our neighbors will be turning their mares loose with him for the season in hopes of getting a quality foal by him before his stud fee goes up—if I decide to stand him at stud at all that is."

"Yeah," Heyes nodded again. He waited.

"Well, I've been thinking..." Heyes smiled quietly; here it comes. "...we already know that Ned will put out some fine youngsters. But we won't get anywhere near what they're worth if we can't show his lineage."

"Oh." Heyes creased his brow; he'd never thought of that.

"We all know that Karma is a fine mare." Jesse continued. "And the stud I used to breed her to is a papered thoroughbred so we know Ned has some fine blood running through him."

"Yeah," Heyes sound dubious, "but no papers from Karma's side."

"That's right." Jesse agreed. "Now she looks to me like a cross between a thoroughbred and a good solid western pony. She gets her height and fire from the thoroughbred and her more solid build and intelligence from the western cow horse. If we could just track down even half of her lineage it would help promote her off-spring and establish a solid line. I wouldn't be surprised if she is papered herself, and they just got lost along the way. You picked her up by accident, as a trade-in, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Heyes collaborated that. "I was...well, on the run at the time. The horse I was riding was about done in and I had to get a fresh one, quick. She just happened to be what the livery man brought out to trade."

"Odd." Jesse commented. "That a man in that business would be willing to let such a fine horse go in exchange for an average cow pony."

Heyes shrugged. "Maybe he didn't know what he had. Or maybe it depends on what he needed at the time." Heyes sighed and thought about it for a moment. "Karma's not always easy to handle—too smart for her own good sometimes. It may be she was giving the livery man trouble and no one wanted to rent her. When you're in that kind of business you're not necessarily looking for quality, just something that's reliable. He may have taken one look at my tired, but sound cow pony and saw something he could use."

"I suppose that makes sense." Jesse agreed. "Do you remember where that was?"

"The town; where I got her?"

"Yes."

"Ohh..." Heyes sounded dubious. "Not off-hand. Hmm..." He sat back, nursing his coffee. "...I'll need to talk to Kid about that. We were meeting up in a small town in Montana I think. We had split up to do two different jobs when I ran into a group of rather stupid but persistent bounty hunters. Honestly Jesse, I can't remember the name of the place. Kid might remember where we met up though, and we could back-track from there."

"It's a start." Jesse agreed.

"Yeah, but for all we know that livery man isn't even there anymore." Heyes contemplated that and did a quick calculating in his head. "It's been...nine...maybe ten years since I picked her up. I donno Jesse, it's a real long shot."

"I know." Jesse conceded. "Have you ever noticed a brand on her? That could be a place to start."

"No," Heyes admitted thoughtfully, "but then I've never really looked for one. Sometimes they can be in the oddest of places."

"True enough." Jesse agreed. "On a well bred horse often breeders don't want the brand to mar the appearance of the animal. Take a look next time, it could be hidden or just look like an innocent scar, but if she's got one it might help. And who better to track down those loose ends than you and Jed?"

Heyes reflected on the matter. "Normally I would start enquiries with telegrams, but since I can't remember the name of the town...this could be a problem. " He smiled sardonically. "I don't think my jailers will allow me to leave the territory."

Jesse sat back and sent Heyes an admonishing look. "Really Hannibal, I doubt that it's as bad as all that. 'Jailers', indeed."

Heyes sighed and reconsidered. "Yeah I suppose you're right." He admitted. "I suppose it's just habit now to think of them that way. I'm trying not to, but sometimes my natural sarcastic tendencies have a way of sneaking out. You're right; it's time to change my attitude about that."

"How do you think you should be viewing them?" Jesse asked him, reverting back to his school-teaching days.

Heyes grinned, knowing that Jesse was putting him to the test. "Babysitters?" he teased. Jesse sent him a look and Heyes smiled for real, "Yeah, alright." He crossed his arms and sat back, thinking about it. "I do know they all want what's best for me and are trying to support me in attaining my goals. Lom has been a good friend for a lot of years so I have to give him credit for tenaciousness. And Jacobs has certainly tried to treat me fairly—although I know I have pushed his patience on more than one occasion."

"Uh, huh."

"Kenny?" Heyes continued reflectively. "Kenny can be pretty hard on me. I still feel the 'guard/inmate' relationship lucking in the background."

"Do you resent that?" Jesse asked him. "Does it bother you that he doesn't see you as an equal?"

Heyes shrugged. "I donno. Maybe he feels, like you say; that I haven't earned that right yet."

"Do you feel you have?"

Heyes grinned again. "No." He admitted honestly. "I hope to one day. He sets the bar pretty high though."

"I think Mr. Reece respects you a lot more than you know." Jesse informed him and then smiled himself. "I think he's hard on you for the same reasons that Abi was hard on you. They both saw your potential and hated the fact that you had wasted it. He wants you to be successful here and is simply not willing to put up with your excuses."

Heyes snorkeled. "Yeah, like someone else I know!" He commented pointedly.

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, alright, I'll accept that. I don't let you get away with it either. You got too used to having your own way then you get into a situation where people are not susceptible to your charm or your reputation and you resent it. All of a sudden, instead of respect just coming to you naturally you're put in a position where you're expected to earn it. That's a difficult shift to make. You are doing it. You fight against it at times, but on the most part you're making headway. We can all see it and we appreciate the effort it takes.' Jesse paused and smiled. "Why don't you talk to Carl and see how much leeway he's willing to give you? He might surprise you."

"Yes, I will." Heyes agreed his eyes suddenly glinting with the thrill of a new challenge. "This could turn out to be fun."

Heyes could tell he was getting older. As much as he didn't like to admit it, those late night poker games were really starting to take their toll and he just didn't recover from lack of sleep quite a easily as he once had. After his late night and then early morning to meet Jesse, Heyes felt sluggish all day and settled in for an early night. A quick supper and a kiss goodnight to his two ladies and he was down for the count.

Miranda and Sally had spent the rest of the evening in the family room working on a jigsaw puzzle together. Sally was trying very hard not to laugh too loudly since she knew her Pa was trying to sleep, but, truth be known, an orphanage of giggling children wouldn't have awakened him so she need not have worried about it.

Sally was seated on the carpeted floor with her elbows resting on the coffee table while she scrutinized the developing picture in front of her. She was taking this endeavor very seriously and every time she found a piece that actually fit into its allotted spot she would laugh and clap her hands excitedly until she remembered yet again to be quiet.

Miranda had pulled a sitting chair up to the low table and sat sipping her tea while she sorted through the pieces of cut up cardboard that were scattered across the table. She was viewing the picture from upside down so she wasn't having much luck finding pieces that would fit but she didn't mind. Sally was far too engrossed in the challenge to notice that she was doing most of the work.

Randa smiled quietly as she sipped her tea. Chamomile it was, and she was pleased to find that she was actually enjoying this time—finally! For so long after the poisonings of the previous summer, she had found it impossible to even catch the aroma of brewing tea without feeling a knot in her stomach and a touch of fear seize her heart.

David had encouraged her to push through it and enjoy her tea again but it had been difficult. She wanted to, though, because she remembered really enjoying a cup of tea in the evenings and she missed sharing a pot with her cousin when they visited. One got tired of drinking coffee all the time. So she persevered and with the support of Tricia and Belle she had gradually gotten over the phobia and was now pleased to find that she could sit down to a cup of tea without too much trepidation.

Randa smiled over at her daughter and said the dreaded but inevitable words. "Time to get ready for bed, sweetheart; it's getting late and you have school tomorrow."

"Aww, but I want to finish it."

Randa's smile grew. "Finish it?" She repeated. "You're not even half way there yet. Come along, it will still be here for you to work on tomorrow evening."

Sally slumped and pouted. "What if Papa moves it?"

"Papa won't move it." Miranda assured her. "I'll be sure to let him know that it's sacred ground." She heard a very audible sigh from the child. "Come along," insisted the new mother as she got to her feet, bringing her tea cup with her. "I'll walk you out to the privy; then you get a quick wash and off to bed."

"Yes Mama," came the reluctant, but defeated, mumble.

Fifteen minutes later Sally had finished her ritual sponge bath and Randa was quickly drying her off before helping her into her night dress. There was no need any more to be putting a warming pan into the beds and the evening toiletries could be gotten though quickly in relative comfort now that the chill of winter nights had loosened its hold. It was, however, still a good time for mother/daughter talks and Sally decided to breech a topic that had been on her mind of late.

"Mama..." She began tentatively as Randa rubbed down her back. "...I think Papa is going to give you a baby soon."

Randa felt a slight tremble go through her; how was she to respond to that? It wasn't even a question. She busied herself getting the night dress over the child's head as she tried to think of an appropriate response.

"Why would you think that?", was the most logical response she could come up with.

Sally shrugged innocently. "All the other mamas are talking about having new babies. Aunt Tricia keeps throwing up and I heard you say that she did that when she was...expecting...Nathan. So it seems to me that Aunt Tricia knew that Nathan was coming. And now Beth too is doing the same thing and everybody seems to be really happy about it." She crinkled up her little nose and looked perplexed. "Why would anyone be happy about throwing up?"

Randa chuckled and turned Sally around to face her. "I know that throwing up isn't very pleasant..."

"No."

"But that's what happens sometimes when a 'mama' expects a new baby. It's nothing to be concerned about."

"Oh." Sally looked down at her hands and fidgeted with the ribbon on her night dress. "So you'll be throwing up soon too?"

"Well, I don't know." Randa admitted. "I'm not really expecting any..."

"You will be." Sally was quite confident. "Papa's going to give you one soon."

Miranda still found herself at loose ends with some of the statements this child would innocently come out with but seeing no other way to respond, she decided to simply go along.

"How would you feel about that?" She asked her daughter. "Would you like to have a baby brother or sister?"

Sally shrugged. "Would you still want me?"

Miranda leaned in closer, not quite sure she had heard that right. "What was that, Sweetheart?"

Sally sighed deeply and went for broke. "Would you and Papa still want me when he gives you a new baby?"

Miranda felt her throat tighten. It had never occurred to her what quiet insecurities a child in Sally's situation might be harboring. To have lost her natural parents at so young an age and then be shipped off to an orphanage—no matter how loving the care—was bound to leave its scars. She should have been aware of that simply from what Jed and Hannibal had told her. But, because they also emphasized the difference between Valparaiso and Laramie, it had never crossed her mind; Sally had seemed so content and well adjusted.

She smiled through her own prickly eyes and stroked her daughter's long auburn hair before pulling her into a hug and holding her tight.

"No, no." She assured the child. "Don't ever think that. You're our daughter and nothing is ever going to change that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course." Randa insisted. "Do you think that Aunt Tricia and Uncle David are going to give up Nathan just because they are expecting a new baby?"

"No. I guess not."

"And Mr. And Mrs Granger? Are they going to send Rosie away?"

"No. But..."

"But, what?"

"They had them right from babies." Sally pointed out. "I'm already eight years old. Maybe you'll decide to send me back now that you're going to have a new one."

"That doesn't matter." Randa continued to assure her. "It doesn't matter how old you were when you came into our lives. You're our daughter and we love you. We will never send you away."

Sally pushed herself out of the hug and smiled a huge smile at her mother. "Never?"

"Never," Randa insisted, knowing that she was simplifying life a little bit, but that answer was what was needed to reassure an insecure child. "You feel better?"

Sally nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"Good! Now, into bed with you; it's getting late."

Sally climbed into her bed and snuggled down into her pillow while her mother tucked the blankets in around her.

"Goodnight, Mama."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

Miranda slid into bed beside her sleeping husband. She cuddled up against his back, feeling the warmth radiating off his skin as she molded her body into his. She smiled at the masculine feel of him against her and allowed the heat under the covers to soak into her until it would become too much and she'd have to pull away.

She wrapped her arms around him and he shifted and moaned softly.

"You awake?" She whispered hopefully.

"Hmmm."

"Your daughter says you'll be giving me a new baby soon."

"Hmmm."...was followed by a sigh and then gentle snoring.

Miranda smiled sleepily and finding his body too warm for her now she moved away from him. Her hand slipping along his back, feeling the numerous long welts there that were a constant reminder of his prison ordeal. She caressed them gently, her thoughts going back to a pleasant day in early autumn.

It was during that wonderful time after he had proposed and before they were married. They had ridden out for another picnic, wanting to get at least one more in before the weather became too chilly to make it comfortable. Hannibal had been in a good mood and they had laughed and joked throughout most of the afternoon. But as is often the case, once the lunch itself had been disposed of, some very affectionate kissing had taken the place of eating.

But on this particular day, Hannibal had suddenly pulled back from her embrace and the laughter had gone from his eyes. Miranda had sat up, her brow creased at this sudden change of mood, and then she smiled teasingly when he began to unbutton his shirt.

"Hannibal." She said reproachfully. "I thought you said you wanted to wait."

"I did." Heyes agreed with her. "And I still do. If Kid can wait three years for Beth, I can wait a few months. I want to do things in the right order this time."

"Well then, what are you doing?" Miranda was confused.

"I want you to know what you're getting before you say 'I do'." Heyes told her as he pulled off his shirt. "I want you to be sure."

"Hannibal." Miranda smiled sadly and shook her head. "I know you have scars on your back, I feel them every time we hug..."

"But you've never seen them." Heyes insisted. "I know you've seen the ones on my wrists, but..."

He stood up and taking her hands he assisted her to her feet. She could feel him trembling through his fingers and she knew what a big step this was for him. She knew then beyond a doubt how much he loved her and how much he trusted her to be willing to expose this most vulnerable area to her before they married. Before she was locked in by her vows and still had the option of shrinking away in disgust and finding herself a whole man—an undamaged man.

She met his eyes and a hint of a nervous smile flickered across his features. He pulled his Henley over his head and tossed the shirt to the ground and then stood before her, naked from the waist up. She shook her head quietly letting him know that he didn't need to do this, but he did need to and he released her hands and slowly turned around.

Miranda did feel a shock go through her at the sight of those scars, but it wasn't one of fear or disgust; it was one of sympathy and compassion. She hadn't realized how many there were; long narrow white lines criss-crossing the length and breath of his back, telling their own story of such a terrible injury and heart-breaking injustice.

She stepped forward and gently caressed them, taking note of the old bullet wound that was also still visible just below his left shoulder blade. She felt his back tense and almost draw away from her but he forced himself to relax and stand his ground. She moved in closer and pressing her body against his, her arms went around his waist and she hugged him for all she was worth. She felt his hands come up to cover hers and then he turned around in her arms and cupping her face, he gazed down into her beautiful dark eyes.

Sadness crossed his features as a tear rolled down her face and he gently brushed it away with his thumb. She smiled up at him and gently ran her finger along the deeper scar that slashed across his jawbone and followed it down to the now almost invisible white line that stretched across his throat.

"I love you." She told him. "I'm not afraid of your scars. They're a part of you now, a part of us. You're going to have to do a lot more than that if you want to scare me away."

He breathed a dimpled smile of relief and pulled her into a tight hug. They stood there together in a silent embrace while the horses continued to graze and a gentle breeze came up and caressed them...

Miranda smiled sleepily at the memory. The darkness hid the scars from view now but she lovingly ran her hand over them as she sent a silent 'goodnight' to her husband. She settled into her own pillow and soon drifted off to sleep.

**KARMA'S STORY**

**Colorado**

**Early Spring - 1880**

She was born in a barn. She didn't know how unusual that was. She didn't know how special that made her. She didn't know that most foals were born out on the open range where their first smells were grass and clover and their roof was a canopy of stars. She didn't know about predators lurking in the shadows or rogue stallions who might take over the herd and kill her, given the chance. She knew nothing of that. She was special, she was privileged.

Her first real sensation was of light and cold and the smell of blood and fluids and her mother. And fresh straw. She lay sprawled in the bedding, her eyes glazed in shock and her tiny body trembling. What was this? What had happened? Was she even aware of that forceful passage through the birth canal, the transition between comforting warmth and isolated chill?

She lay in the straw, her senses and nerves on high alert, but her brain still foggy. Her consciousness still wondering; what happened? There was a rumbling that irritated her sensitive ears and they flicked back and forth, trying to make it out, trying to understand what it all meant. She felt movement beside her; a large body heaving upwards. Warmth. Something touched her! She flinched. Sensation; new and confusing. But it felt good.

Warm and wet stroking her, caressing her, causing the blood in her veins to begin to flow. She snorted a little baby snort. There was that rumbling again only this time a high pitched sound joined in on it. She drew air into her lungs and nodded her head, trying to get some bearings on what was going on. The warm, comforting stroking continued, caressing her face and her neck and then down across her whole body.

It felt good but it caused her little muscles to bunch up and want to move, and she wanted to move but she didn't know how. That large body was moving now and she could hear the loud rustling of the straw. She snorted again, this time with a strange sense of anxiety. She didn't want that large body to move away from her. It smelled nice and it gave comfort. She needed to move.

Before she knew what she was doing, her long gangly legs unfolded in front of her and she tried to push herself up. It didn't work and her knobby knees gave out and she ended up nose first back into the straw. There was that irritating noise again; that high pitched tinkling and then more rumbling. Her ears flicked back and forth trying to make sense of it. Withher mother's breath against her face, and the warm tongue caressing her, she forgot about the irritating noise.

She tried again to stand up. The scent coming from her mother was so compelling, she had to get up, she knew she did. Her long front legs came out once more and her hind feet pushed her but she ended up toppling over onto her side again. Still, she was nothing if not determined. It took her three more tries before she got up onto all four feet, only to have those give out on her as well.

It wasn't so much that her muscles weren't strong enough but more that she had no sense of balance. Getting up on these four spindly little spikes with soft little hooves on the end of them was no easy feat and trying to stay up on them was almost impossible! But if she was to survive she must do the impossible! She persevered and struggled and toppled back into the straw innumerable times but she did at last finally succeed.

Her reward? Warm, sweet mother's milk. Oh it tasted so good! It flowed through her body, giving warmth and strength to her muscles and causing her blood to flow in earnest, pumping oxygen and life giving nutrients to every cell that grew within her. She suckled to her heart's content careful not to move her feet and lose her balance.

Finally, she'd had enough and she found that her eyes just couldn't stay open any longer. The strength left her body and her knees buckled. Before she knew it, she was splattered all over the straw covered floor again. She didn't even have time to give a sigh of contentment before her eyes closed and her body relaxed and she drifted off into oblivion.

When she awoke her small world was beginning to make a little bit more sense. Her vision was clearer and she could see her mother plain as day. She was very pretty. The sounds of contented munching filled the stall along with the occasional snort and stamp of a hoof. The filly sat up, the aroma of fresh straw filling her senses and an odd feeling in her tummy catching her attention.

She snorted and blinked as she looked around and took in her surroundings. There wasn't much to take in; four walls, her mother, and a few other odd shapes that didn't mean anything to her. What did mean something to her was that growing gnawing in her stomach. Her little nostrils twitched and drew in the scent of her mother and she licked her lips in anticipation.

She was quickly to her feet; no trouble this time, and over to snuggle up to the warmth of her mother's body. Her little nose searched and found the tits and she began to suckle in earnest and though she was totally unaware of it, her little tail flapped and waved and wagged in pleasure as her tummy filled with the warm nourishment.

Her first introduction to humans was strange indeed. She hadn't even realized that anything existed other than herself and her mother. She heard a loud rasping sound and she looked over to see the most amazing thing! One of the walls of her world was opening up! Her head came up and she was on her feet in an instant! She crowded in on her mother and then watched with fascinated anxiety as the ugliest creature she could imagine came into her space. It walked on two legs and didn't smell anything like her mother!

She heard that rumbling noise again and one of the creature's strange appendages came out towards her. She tensed up and tried to disappear into her mother's side. But she had nowhere to go and the appendage came closer and closer. Finally the digits at the end of it touched her and she flinched and jerked her head away.

The creature made soft cooing noises and her ears flicked back and forth trying to make sense of it. But it wasn't of any language she understood. She blew anxiously and tried to get away from them but her mother was not helping. The big mare just stood there like a stone in the earth and didn't seem to be too concerned about her daughter's distress.

The creature continued to come closer until the appendages touched her again! But this time it wasn't just a touch, it was a caress and then a scratching of her soft baby mane. She didn't know what to do! Should she jump forward or scramble back!? She had nowhere to go and this thing was touching her all over her body now! She was sure she was going to have a heart attack—what was this thing!?

The creature made that rumbling noise and then that high pitched tinkly sound again, but it did at least back off. She snorted with indignation and cuddled up into her mother's flank, hoping that this strange creature would just go away.

She watched nervously as the creature moved around to her mother's head and slipped something onto it. She couldn't believe her mother was permitting this but even more to her amazement, the creature began to leave the stall and the mare meekly followed along behind it! The filly stood and watched helplessly as her mother was lead from the stall, leaving her behind to deal with life on her own. She snorted! What to do!? She didn't want to leave the security of the stall, but her mother was walking away! Her tail flapped up and down in agitation as she pondered the dilemma until quite unexpectedly, the question was answered for her.

Another of those strange creatures came into the stall, this one bigger and even uglier than the first, and it maneuvered its way around her. Before she knew what was happening, it was standing behind her and gave her a little slap on the rump. She jumped with startled indignation, and deciding that the stall was no longer a place of safety, her little hooves scrambled on the floor boards as she hurried to catch up with her departing mother.

Our filly's first six months of life weren't all that much different from the life of any other pampered princess. She was adored. She was fussed over and patted and groomed to her hearts content. She learned very quickly to enjoy the company of those strange, ugly creatures as they brought pleasure both to her senses and her tummy. As far as she was concerned all this attention was hers by right since it had always been granted to her but what she didn't realize was that much of it was because of her parentage.

Her mother was a much adored and valued mare on this ranch. And though this filly was her first foal it made the promise that her future foals, when broke out and sold, would likely bring top dollar. If managed properly, along with the financial gain, the ranch would get a solid reputation of putting out fine riding and carriage horses. On top of that, the filly's sire was one handsome son of a gun and he knew it too! He had the proven lineage of a champion and the attitude to match.

On those rare occasions when the filly actually caught sight of her father (fortunately from a safe distance) she would tremble and make a suckling motion with her mouth, hoping that he would accept her as just a baby and would not hurt her. The mare did not count on hope for that. She told her daughter to stay close whenever the stallion was in the vicinity and would lay her ears back and make it plain that he knew to stay away.

But aside from those frightening encounters, the filly reveled in her royal status and saw no reason at all to believe that anything was ever going to change. Her days were spent playing and sleeping in the large pasture set aside for the mares with their new foals. She grew and blossomed and became more splendid with each passing day and she began to take for granted the admiring remarks and special attention her physical beauty brought to her.

When she was two months old something very strange did happen in her life, but since it wasn't too terribly traumatic she decided to permit it to happen. One of those creatures that she realized were called 'humans' approached her kind words and gentle hands; it was the male human who often cared for her. He seemed kind and would often approach her murmuring reassurances. She was used to him running his hands across her soft, curly baby fur and she enjoyed the sensation so she permitted his presence. She would close her eyes with pleasure and press her head into his chest, inhaling his scent and committing it to memory. To her surprise, this time he slipped a most unusual object onto her head. It felt very strange and she blew and tossed her head about but the silly thing would not fall off. She leaned up against her mother for moral support, but the mare did not seem too concerned about these procedures and the filly was somewhat insulted. She felt her freedom being jeopardized and she decided that she didn't really like this thing on her. She pulled back but something was preventing her from getting away. She snorted and her eyes rolled white as she leaned back on her hind quarters and began to pull with all her might.

Her head whipped back and forth and she pulled and reared and dug in her little hooves but that human just stood there and was almost laughing at her. She reared back again, putting all her might into it and before she knew it, she was suffering the indignation of losing her balance and flipping herself over onto her back.

Fear clutched her heart! The most vulnerable position for a horse to be in is on her back with her four feet scrambling in the air! She snorted again and was quickly on her feet and there she stood, legs splayed apart as she blew her indignation. She felt the pressure behind her ears, encouraging her to move forward but she still resisted, she was still feeling insulted. She pulled back again and the human made soft comforting sounds at her but she still wasn't sure. She dug in her hooves and snorted and reared again. But it was just a little rear, a final protest as she had no intentions of ending up on her back again.

She reared up and then gave to the pressure behind her ears and jumped forward to land right in front of the human. Again she heard soft words and a gentle hand came out to stroke her neck. He patted her, and scratched her behind the ears and rubbed the crest of her neck. This felt good. She snorted again the nodded her head and stepped into the hand, encouraging it to carry on scratching her.

The human moved away again and she felt the pressure behind her ears encouraging her to step forward. Oh, why not? She stretched out her neck to give to the pressure and took a tentative step. More soft words from the human and more scratching on her crest. More pressure on her neck and she stepped forward without hesitation. More scratching. Well, this was alright. Beside, her mother wore one of these things on her head and she didn't seem to mind.

Her lessons with the halter carried on for some time because even though she had accepted the wearing apparel on the first day, there were other days when she wasn't quite so keen. She didn't mind at all giving to the pressure and following the human's lead if it was in a direction she wanted to go in anyways. But as soon as she was asked to leave her mother's side, or pass by an interesting leaf on the ground, she would dig in her tiny hooves and the battle would start all over again.

It is to her credit and intelligence that she didn't flip herself onto her back again but she still showed a willful manner that would not do at all for the elegant mare she was destined to become. So the more she showed an attitude, the more insistent and resourceful the human became. Along with the halter on her head, a strong rope was also looped around her tiny bum so that when she pulled away from the halter that second rope would tighten her hind quarters and prevent her from getting in any kind of a pull!

This just wasn't fair! Any move she made was countered until she finally had to accept that the halter was her master and she must go where it lead or suffer the consequences. This was her first real lesson on what it meant to be a horse in a human's world. Her fine breeding didn't matter and, instead of exempting her from these indignities, her royal blood deemed it even more necessary that she come to understand and accept her place in the scheme of things.

She would learn her lessons, but she would always be a little contemptuous of these strange two-legged creatures who seemed to rule the world. Oh they were kind enough on the most part, but they weren't very strong, or bright, or fast and yet somehow or other they always seemed to win the day. She would stand out in the pasture, dozing beside her grazing mother and contemplate the irony of this fact. No matter how hard she tried, she could not explain it and she would snort and flap her tail in frustration before galloping off to play with her peers.

As the days went by her education continued and despite her attitude she did manage to learn quite a lot. She learned how to move out on a long line and even began to pick up on certain sounds that the human would make; sounds that were actually unique and had meanings of their own: 'Walk, trot. Get over!' and, apparently the most important one of all: 'Whoa!'.

She also learned that it was not considered appropriate to run over a human even if it was standing in her line of flight. It did not matter if one of the more dominant colts was making a run at her, she must not at any cost run over a human. Humans were the ultimate dominant member of the herd, even if it was one of those pesky miniature humans, and she learned quickly to respect their space. But it was not all bad, actually very little of it was bad, and she was never really hurt unless she did it to herself.

Often the ladies on the ranch would come to her in the pasture and they would brush her and scratch her and feed her those tasty apples. Her mother liked apples, too, and would help herself to the ones on the higher branches so the filly came to appreciate the ladies saving some of the nicer ones for her and not let the others steal them away.

One particular lady seemed to have a special fondness for her mother. She would come into the pasture and sit quietly under a shady tree watching the horses. Her mother would slowly nibble her way closer and closer to the human until she could drop her head into the woman's lap and nuzzle her softly. The foal was still leery of humans and would keep her distance, playing with the other foals, but always with a concerned eye on her mother. She could see, though, that her mother craved the contact and the mare would linger by the human for a long time before drifting back to the other mares and foals.

In retrospect the young filly had to admit that life was not that bad. There were some things that she had to acquiesce to that stuck in her craw, but on the most part she was praised and pampered and encouraged to go on believing that she was a princess. When not 'in school' her days were spent playing or sleeping in the fragrant green grass and soaking up the warm sunshine, while her nights were spent cozy and warm, snuggled into the clean straw of her mother's stall.

There was only one incident in her young foalhood that marred that tranquility of her privileged life. It put such a scare into her that she never forgot it and the lesson she learned from it would prove to serve her well in the years to come.

The pasture where the brood mares and their foals spent the summer days was quite large and rolling. There were many trees that had grown strong and tall that offered not only cool shade from the summer sun, but many of them also offered up those tasty apples that the young horses soon learned to appreciate. The trees that had fallen during the previous winter also offered great hiding places and obstacles to run around or jump over as the foals played and frolicked and developed their skills.

In the lower area of the pasture there was a thick grove of trees where all the foals particularly liked to play in. It was always cool and the fallen logs and numerous branches strewn upon the ground offered up plenty of opportunity for fun and games.

It was on one otherwise innocuous day that tragedy struck. A number of the foals were playing as usual inside the grove, running and bucking and pawing at the ground when quite unexpectedly and for no fathomable reason, one of the branches that had been partially hidden under a fallen truck suddenly sprang to life! It lashed out and attached itself to a fine young colt's nose who then instantly applied the brakes and ran squealing and bucking back towards his mother.

This got the whole herd into an uproar. The mares were instantly on the alert calling out for their own offspring while at the same time all the foals ran like hell to find their respective mothers. It didn't take long for the chaos to settle as the horses all paired up and the mares circled around the foals and stared out across the grasses, wild eyed and blowing. They searched for the threatening predator but could not see or smell anything out of the ordinary and soon the group settled down again.

All would have been well and forgotten except for the fact that the stricken colt did not leave his mother's side when the others went off to play again. For the rest of the day, the listless colt stayed refused all overatures to play and his visibly swelling nose was frightening to the other foals. When the gloaming began to settle in and the mares with their foals returned to the barn for the night, it was noticed that one pair was missing. The young colt had died by his mother's side and the mare was refusing to leave him.

One of the humans went out to catch her and return her to her stall, but she refused to eat and spent the night in sorrowful silence with her head hung low in the corner. Mourning filled the barn and the next day when the small herd was put out in another pasture, the mares did not leave the heartbroken mother. They stood by her in consolidation throughout that day and well into the next. As time went on some gradually left her side to continue on with their own lives, but there were still two mares who considered her their special friend and did not leave her until she had passed through her sorrow and was able to carry on again as a horse.

Our filly never forgot that day and the tree branch that had come alive. She watched the humans go into that field and burn out the underbrush and the branches and clear away the fallen trucks before more harm could come from them. A week later, another one of those moving branches was discovered by our filly's own mother and she skirted away from it and pressed the point home even further to her daughter that those kinds of branches were not to be toyed with.

As time went on the sadness of the loss was forgotten, but not the lesson. That remained ingrained. The summer days began to shorten and the evenings were no longer warm as autumn began to make an appearance. This was all a puzzle to our filly who had assumed that summer was always going to be with her But change was inevitable, not only one change, but many were awaiting the young horses and much to their dismay, most of these changes were not to their liking—not one little bit.

When she was six months of age, she was separated from her mother and if chance were ever to bring them back together again, memory would have long since isolated them. This was the worst possible thing that could happen and she, along with the other weanlings, was in absolute, total misery for the longest time. They cried and begged and pleaded with the humans to allow them all to reunite, but it was not to be. And even the company and attention of the young ladies of the ranch did nothing to quell the equine tears that flowed.

Then the most grievous of insults was bestowed upon her! It didn't matter that the same fate came to all the weanlings, this princess took it upon herself to take it personally. It began innocently enough with her and her friends being herded into one of the many corrals on the property. This was not unusual since it was in these corrals that most of their early training had taken place and the young horses entered into it quite willingly and milled around quietly waiting for the dust to settle.

There was a group of humans all standing around one of those hot, flickering, smoky things that was on the ground. In itself, this was no cause for alarm but then part of the fence slid away to reveal a long narrow passage that went right passed that smoky thing. This did catch the attention of the young horses but it was still not terribly worrisome. It wasn't until two humans on horseback entered into the corral and began to push the young horses towards that narrow passage that the eyes rolled white and the nostrils began to flair.

For the second time in her young life, the copper filly felt real fear. She turned and tried to gallop away from the horse/humans but only found her way blocked by yet another rider with a rope. The humans were yelling and waving those ropes and pushing the young horses into the chute whether or not they wanted to go. The filly didn't know what do to and so instinctively followed the horse in front of her until she suddenly found herself inside that narrow passage way with a wooden plank slid across the way in front, preventing her from going any further. She reared and tried to back up but found that another plank had slid across behind her and she was trapped.

She reared again and tried to climb out of the passage way but the structure went up too high. She screamed her indignation at this treatment and began to kick but all she did was hurt her own feet on the wood behind her. She reared again and began to crash her body from side to side, trying desperately to break out but the planks and poles were too strong for her and finally she stopped. She stood wild-eyed and blowing, her sweat soaked body trembling but her feet were planted firmly in the ground as she awaited whatever terrible fate was coming.

She heard her friend up ahead of her suddenly scream out in pain and she felt the vibrations of his renewed fighting against the planks as the air filled with an arid smoke. Her nostrils flared again as the scent of burnt hair and flesh attacked her senses and her heart beat so hard she was sure it would burst from her chest.

She saw them coming towards her; those humans on two legs, walking towards her with a long iron stick that glowed red at one end. She leaned back away from them, putting all her weight into the wooden structure that surrounded her but she could not get out of their reach. The iron stick slid through the railings and again she smelled that stench of burning hair and flesh and wondered where it was coming from.

She heard a squeal not realizing it was her own and then a deep-throated bellow came out of her throat as the pain suddenly reached her brain. She reared again, trying desperately to escape, to get away from this torture but there was no place for her to go! Then the plank in front of her was slid away and she found herself staring at the wide open passage way. She stood gaping at it for a second before she realized that an escape route was being offered to her and once she got over the shock, she dug in her hind feet and exploded out of the passage at a full gallop.

She broke in amongst the herd of the other young horses who had gone on ahead of her, but she didn't stop running until she came up against the high-poled fence of the second corral. She turned then to face her assailants and blowing her indignation she trotted around the enclosure just daring any of those humans to come and try that again! But all she saw was her herd mates and all of them were on the move just as she was, trotting or galloping along the fence line, trying to get away from that searing burning on their haunches.

Our filly was now considered to be an individual even though she was still quite young. She had been weaned off her mother and would no longer be identified through her association with that mare. To prove her lineage and her ownership she had been given her own brand, therefore it seems appropriate that she be given her own name.

Even though the name of 'Karma-Lou' is not the name that was originally given to her, it is the sound that she would ultimately come to recognize as belonging to her. So from now on, 'Karma' is how the dark copper filly will be referred to and, throughout the majority of her life, it is the name for which she will be known.

From the moment that her soft hooves had touched straw, Karma knew she was a princess. No matter what hardships might befall her during the years of her life she knew she was special and that she would always be a princess.

**Brookswood, Colorado**

**Spring - 1892**

Heyes sat pensively in the Sheriff's office, nervously fingering the brim of his hat as he glanced casually at the wanted posters pinned up on the bulletin board. Even after all this time, he still expected to see his and his cousin's names blaring out at him, threatening their freedom for the sake of $20,000. He scanned the posters that were there and noticed with a touch of professional pride that none of the bounties listed came anywhere near the price that had been on his head.

He smiled through his anxiety until Sheriff Jacobs' incredulous tones brought him back to reality.

"You want to do what!?" Jacobs was demanding of him.

Heyes jerked his attention back to the lawman. "Oh well, I'm sure it won't be a problem Sheriff." Heyes placated one of his numerous guardians. "Jesse has hired me to do this for him. You know you can ask him yourself if you don't believe me. It really is a legitimate job..."

"It's not the legitimacy of the job I'm questioning Heyes!" Jacobs insisted. "It's the location!"

Heyes shifted a little in the chair. "Well, we don't know the location yet." He smiled winningly. "It could take me anywhere..."

"EXACTLY!" Jacobs practically exploded. "You want permission to leave the State and then disappear..."

"Well, no..." Heyes insisted. "I won't disappear. I'll send telegrams..."

"And you want to go alone!?"

"Well, no...not alone." Heyes was trying to be reasonable. "Kid can come with me..."

"So let me get this straight." Jacobs sat back in his chair and folded his arms, looking sceptical. "You want permission to leave the State...WITH your partner in crime...and disappear into parts unknown. Is that right?"

Heyes squirmed. "W..well...not disappear—totally...Hey! What do you mean 'partner in crime'!? We haven't done anything illegal in..." He began counting on his fingers, "...six...seven...no, ah..."

Jacobs raised an eyebrow, trying to and succeeding in stifling a smile. "What's the matter Heyes, forgotten how to count? Or just can't keep track?"

"NO!" Heyes looked incensed, then sheepish. "I just don't know what..."

"What I might consider a crime?" The Sheriff asked him.

Heyes didn't answer, but scowled defensively as he straightened himself in the chair.

"If you want to go all the way back to your trial..." Jacobs continued, "the con you and your partner pulled with the help of Miss Hale was about ten years ago. If we want to include your dash through the snow after Mitchell...well, that's quite a bit sooner isn't it?"

Heyes crossed his arms, his lips pressing together in a tight line of irritation. He was in a snit now and more determined than ever not to answer.

The two men sat in silence for a couple of minutes, the Sheriff scrutinizing the ex-con and the ex-con squirming irritably under the scrutiny.

"What about your friends?" Jacobs asked him. "The ones you 'hired' to do the jobs that you can't do."

Heyes still felt insulted and didn't want to answer. Jacobs sighed and raised his eyebrows. Heyes succumbed.

"Wheat and Kyle are over in Wyoming doing a job for Lom," the ex-con grumbled. "Apparently some government official's nephew's cousin's wife helped her boyfriend to rob their local bank and then disappear with him into the hills. They're trying to track her down."

"Oh." Jacobs smirked a little. "I see."

Again the two men sat in silence.

"Tell you what," Jacobs finally relented. "you've been behaving yourself pretty well this past year. Getting married and taking on a family certainly seems to have calmed you down to some degree. You have roots in this town now and so does your partner. Strong roots. I know you won't leave the State and deliberately disappear. You've had plenty of opportunity to do that if you were going to do it."

Heyes glared over at him. "What's the problem then?" he snarked. "With everything just you and I have been through here, haven't I earned some level of trust?"

"Yeah Heyes, ya' have." Jacobs softened his stance a bit. "But everything you've done on your own to date has been within the State boundaries and the first time you ask permission to leave the State, you seem to think that doing that on your own is no big deal."

"But I told you..."

"Yes, I know. Curry would be with you." Jacobs conceded, then shook his head. "Not quite the same thing as having a law man along to keep an eye on things, is it?"

Heyes just sighed, feeling like he had already lost the battle. Jacobs took some pity on him, knowing that the man was trying.

"Alright," he said. "Let me inform the others of what you would like to do and see what they say. After all, it's not up to me alone."

Heyes looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Okay."

**Wyoming Territorial Prison, Laramie, Wyoming **

**Spring - 1892**

Kenny made his usual rounds of the prison work floor with the intentions of keeping in touch with the moods and temperaments of the prison proper. Having been a guard here for many years, he knew the importance of staying involved with the day to day functioning of the prison and the ongoing relationships between the guards and the inmates. He was determined not to make the same mistakes that his predecessor had made by sequestering himself in his office and never stepping foot in the prison proper other than on special occasions.

Mitchell had lost control of the prison by doing that. Counting on his rather brutal and corrupt senior guard to keep him abreast of any issues and to handle discipline in any manner that he choose. It hardly made for positive public relations and between trying to cover his own ass and ignoring the hostile atmosphere of the prison itself, the ex-warden had ultimately cut his own throat. He was now serving time in Colorado for his various indiscretions, the Wyoming officials deeming it too dangerous for him to be incarcerated in the same prison that he had once ruled with an iron fist.

Kenny strolled around the work floor, watching the inmates keeping busy with their various assigned duties for the day. None of them met his eye but none of them shrank away from him either. None of the inmates wanted to be here, but most of them had enough sense to realize that they were treated fairly and, given the circumstances, with as much respect as possible. Feelings of animosity rarely surfaced between guards and inmates.

Kenny caught the eye of his senior guard and beckoned him over. "Mr. Pearson." He extended the greeting. "Any issues today?"

"Yes sir, just one." Mr. Pearson informed him. "Mr. Gibbons cut open the palm of his hand while making a broom. He's over in the infirmary."

"Really?" Kenny commented dryly. "Surprising how many inmates still manage to do that even with decent tools to work with."

Pearson smiled back at him. "Yes, it is isn't it?"

The two men locked eyes for an instant then Kenny smiled back and nodded. "Carry on, Mr. Pearson."

"Yessir."

The Warden made his way off the work floor, stooping suddenly to stroke the back of a small nondescript tabby cat who trotted past him on her way towards the kitchen. Three kittens bounced and tumbled along in her wake.

Kenny took hold of one of the keys that was attached to his key ring and unlocked the security door that would let him out of the work area and into a hallway. He continued on down the hallway until he unlocked a second door and gave himself access to the infirmary. He scanned the large room until his eyes rested on the doctor over in the far corner tending to Mr. Gibbons' work related injury.

"Morning Doc," Kenny greeted the young man as he approached the pair. "How does it look?"

Dr. Dale Miller glanced up with a smile and a shrug. "Not too bad," he informed the Warden. "Just needed a few stitches. As long as he keeps it clean it'll heal up fine."

"Hm hmm," Kenny nodded and looked to the patient. "How did you injure yourself, son?"

The eighteen year old looked up at the Warden with anxious eyes. He paled noticeably.

"Oh...ummm...it was just an accident sir," he stumbled. "Knife slipped."

"Did it?" Kenny queried. "Mr. Gibbons, you're in here on forgery charges, are you not?"

"Yessir." the young man admitted. "But I didn't..."

"Forged copies of land deeds and then sold them to honest hard working folks, did you not?"

The young man was all set to deny his guilt, but those steady gray eyes bore into him and he felt himself quiver and loose his resolve. He hung his head.

"Yessir."

"From what I know of forgery, to be any good at it you need to have a good eye and a steady hand." Kenny commented. "Would that not be the case Mr. Gibbons?"

Gibbons looked confused, wondering where this was going. Dr. Miller simply smiled.

"Yessir," the inmate agreed.

"We have found in the past that many new inmates use a minor cut such as this to gain access to the infirmary or to avoid having to work." Kenny continued on. "We generally allow one such injury to go by unquestioned since it can be difficult to get used to the equipment and to learn the various tasks involved. Accidents do happen."

"Yessir."

"But I would tend to be suspicious of someone of your obvious dexterity, cutting himself twice."

"Oh." The head hung again. "Yessir."

"It would seem to me that someone of your obvious skills could be put to better use than to be making brooms." Kenny surmised. "Let me think on it Mr. Gibbons. Perhaps some time over in the woodworking barn; or writing letters for those inmates who are not capable."

Mr. Gibbons brightened up, surprise written all over his face. "Oh! Yessir!"

Kenny smiled and gave the young man a pat on the shoulder.

"Doc, let me know when he's healed up." Kenny said. "Perhaps we can make a change in the work roster."

"Sure will Warden." Miller agreed. "I'd give it a week before he can do any woodworking, but it's his left hand so he should be able to help out with the letter writing anytime."

"Good." Kenny nodded. "I'll speak to Mr. Pearson about getting it organized."

The Warden turned and headed back out to the prison proper, smiling as he heard Dr. Miller chuckling at his patient's stunned reaction.

Twenty minutes later Kenny approached the door to his office only to be stopped by his secretary stepping up to get his attention.

"Yes Mr. Cobbs, what is it?" Kenny asked him.

"There's a letter on your desk sir." Mr. Cobbs informed him. "It's from the sheriff in Brookswood."

Kenny knitted his brow. "Thank you Mr. Cobbs. Ahh, some coffee if you wouldn't mind."

"Oh. Yessir."

Kenny sat down at his desk and couldn't help the slight fluttering of butterflies in his stomach. Any correspondence from Brookswood that wasn't a wedding invitation always seemed to have this effect upon him. So gathering up his courage and opening the envelope he quickly read over the short note and his brow knitted even more. He read the note over a second time and sat back with a resigned sigh.

"He wants to do WHAT?" he asked no one in particular.

**Porterville, Wyoming. Spring 1892**

Lom sat down to dinner with his wife and it didn't take her long to see that there was something on her husband's mind. Lom was always quick to compliment Martha on her cooking and his sincerity was on the level. Being a bachelor for so many years the way he had, having a woman's touch in the kitchen was far and above preferable over what he used to call supper.

But tonight he was half way through the pork chops and homemade apple sauce before he even thought to acknowledge his wife. He glanced over at her and was instantly contrite when he saw that she was watching him with a gentle smile settled on her lips. He sighed and sat back for a moment, taking a break from his tasty meal.

"I'm sorry, Martha," he told her. "As usual the meal is excellent. I've just got something on my mind. I gotta learn to start leaving this stuff at the office."

"That's alright." Martha assured him as she took in a fork full of mashed potatoes. "If it's something you want to talk about, what better time than over supper?"

"Yes, I suppose."

When nothing for was forthcoming, Martha smiled again and took on a knowing expression.

"It's about Hannibal again, isn't it?"

Lom let out a bark of a laugh. "What a surprise! That reprobate is still managing to keep me awake at nights."

"What's he done now?" she asked with a resigned sigh.

"Oh he hasn't done anything!" Lom stated, throwing his napkin on the table in a show of frustration. "It's what he wants to do. I suppose I should be happy that he's going through the proper channels and asking permission before he takes off half-cocked, but I can't help but see Joplin happening all over again."

"Don't you think it's time you let that one go?" Martha suggested reasonably. "His situation is totally different now. You even said yourself just last week that he has come a long way."

"Yes he has," Lom admitted, "but now he's asking permission to leave the state and go who knows where. Apparently, Jesse has hired him to track down the lineage of that mare of his and that could lead him just about anywhere. Even down south! We have no idea where he could end up."

Martha shrugged; she couldn't see the problem. "He would be sending telegrams back, wouldn't he? And couldn't someone go with him? What about Jed?"

Lom rolled his eyes. "That might be worse." He stated. "Those two together can get up to no end of mischief."

"Well, obviously I don't know Hannibal very well." Martha admitted. "But Jed seems to be taking his responsibilities very seriously. I quite like him, and Beth." She smiled affectionately. "I'm so glad to hear that they've moved on from the tragedy of last year. I think they'll be wonderful parents."

"Hmm." Lom wasn't really listening as his mind was still on the problem in front of him. "So you think Heyes is ready to be set loose?"

"I don't really know, dear." She admitted. "As I said, you know him much better than I do. He's always polite and friendly towards me, but he seems guarded as well. It's as though he doesn't want me to get too close."

"Yes." Lom commented. "I'd noticed that." He shrugged. "Heyes can be like that, and he may feel intimidated by you."

Martha laughed. "By me!? What power could I possibly have over him?"

"Me." Lom stated point blankly. "Heyes and I have known each other a long time. But it's a relationship that's always been in flux. We started out friends; equal partners. Then when I joined up with the Devil's Hole gang, well, he wasn't leader yet; but he was still senior to me. In the line of command if I had anything to say to Jim, it had to go through Heyes first.

"Then when I left that life and became a lawman, well that kinda put us on opposite sides of the fence. I know he resented it, him and the Kid both; but mostly Heyes because we had ridden together before Devil's Hole and we were friends. He was worried too. He knew that I knew things about him that he didn't want the law to know. It was only after a couple of years when he realized that I wasn't going to give him away that they relaxed and we settled on an unspoken truce. 'You leave us alone, we'll leave you alone.'

"Things worked fine like that for quite a while. Then they came to me that night, asking for amnesty and the dynamics changed again. We weren't friends anymore; I was a lawman, they were outlaws. Heyes was no longer above me in the line of command, nor were we back to equals. I was above him and he had to accept that change if he wanted me to broker that deal for them."

"Yes, but he obviously did accept it." Martha pointed out. "From what I could see, he has always treated you with respect, and so has Jed. Why would there still be a problem?"

"Well, partly because he still has to accept the submissive role with me." Lom explained. "He still has to ask my permission, still has to let me know what he's doing. Those were the conditions of his parole and you can bet it sticks in his craw. A lot of his acting out is simple rebellion against those conditions. Here he is in his forties and he still has a hard time with authority. I suppose that may always be a part of his character."

"Yes, I can see that." Martha accepted. "But what has that got to do with me?"

"You're my wife." Lom stated the obvious. "I know things about him from his early years that he would rather stayed dead and buried. He doesn't know what I have or have not told you about my life and the things we did while he and I were riding together. Heyes is a very private man. It throws him off balance not knowing what you know about him."

"Oh." Martha smiled. "And I suppose I do know a lot about him, don't I?"

"Yes you do Martha." Lom agreed. "Yes you do."

"Perhaps the next time I see him, we can have a little talk." Martha suggested. "I can at least reassure him that I don't hold anything against him. I actually quite admire him and Jed for the changes they have made in their lives."

"Well, that might help." Lom agreed. "In the mean time I have to decide what to do about this request."

"Oh let him go!" Martha dismissed the issue as being a problem. "How are you going to know you can trust him if you never give him enough room to prove it?"

"You certainly have a way of simplifying things Martha." He told her with a smile. He picked up his napkin and returned his attention to the pork chops. "I'll suggest that someone else, besides the Kid go along with him but you're right, it's time to give him a bit more room."

**Double J Ranch, Colorado. Spring 1892**

"When do you think you and Beth will be moving into your own place?" Heyes casually asked his partner.

They were sitting out on the porch of the Double J, enjoying an after supper coffee while the women finished the cleaning up. Sally and J.J. had enthusiastically offered to help Jesse get the stock in for the night and do the feeding, though just how much help they were being was anyone's guess.

"Probably after the baby arrives." Jed answered him. "There's a few final touches to make out there and I know Beth is more comfortable being here with her ma right now. Truth be told, I'm more comfortable with it too. Don't know that I would feel right, leaving her all alone out there in her condition. It'd be different if we were in town, but..."

"Hmm." Heyes nodded agreement. "It's different, living in town like that. Karma doesn't like it much—she misses her herd. I know with starting up our business it makes sense for one of us at least to be close to amenities, but it's definitely taking some getting used to."

Jed grinned, not being able to resist the door that Heyes had left wide open. "Being a 'kept man' not setting well with you?"

"Hey!" Heyes took offence. "I'm not a 'kept man'!" he insisted. "I've got an income!"

"What? Gambling?"

"It was good enough for you!" Heyes snarked, "Besides, we've had some...legitimate work come in."

"Yeah...'some'."

Heyes huffed and sulked.

Jed broke out laughing. "Aw, c'mon Heyes! I'm just needling ya'. Don't fix it if it ain't broke."

Heyes continued to sulk. Jed was still seeing the humor but he softened his amusement as his cousin's foul mood continued.

"It really bothers you doesn't it?" Jed asked him. "The fact that Miranda's the one with..."

"Yeah!" Heyes blurted out and huffed again. "Well, wouldn't it bother you? I mean you were the one griping that you had nothing to offer Beth, but at least you built her a home and you're gettin some nice things to put in it..."

"Most of it's used," Kid pointed out. "or just hammered together."

"So what?" Heyes asked. "At least you're providing for your wife. That's the way it's supposed to be; the man provides the home and the security and the wife provides the children and the comforts that a man...expects..."

A grin was dangerously taking over the Kid's face again. "Uh huh. And since when have you or I ever done anything the way it's 'suppose' to be done?"

Heyes sat quietly for a moment as his mood decided which way it was going to go. Eventually the dimples insisted on taking over and before he could stop himself, he started to chuckle.

"Ya' got a point there," he finally admitted.

"Yup," Jed agreed. "And our little business is not doing too badly, considering." He sat back and grinned again. "It's kinda' nice, ain't it Heyes? Actually earning our keep with our own business...I mean, one that's legal!"

Heyes' brows went up emphatically. "Yeah! It is nice, isn't it."

"Yup!"

"Speaking of which..." Heyes began, looking serious, "...did Jesse mention this little job he wants me to take on?"

"You mean tracking Karma's lineage?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, he did."

"So...what do ya' think?" Heyes asked him. "I was kinda hopin' you'd come with me." He reached over and gave the Kid a playful punch on the arm. "It'd be kinda like old times eh, Partner!"

"Yeah...I donno Heyes."

Heyes felt his heart sink but he wasn't ready to give up. "I know you're concerned about Beth and all, but she's not due until the fall, and she's doing fine..."

"Yeah, I know."

"C'mon." Heyes continued to lay on the pressure. "I could really use you on this. That's if my nurse maids allow me to go at all!" He was back to grumbling again. "I know it does kind of exceed the limits of my parole, but do they really think that I'm going to leave my wife and daughter behind and just disappear?"

A strained silence settled between them, both of them thinking the same thing. Thinking about appearances and how the government official's sitting in their plush offices might view the situation

The Kid knew all too well that Heyes would never abandon his new wife. When Heyes loved, he loved hard. He'd only ever seen his cousin fall in love a few times and each time fate had seen fit to rob him of his chance at happiness until now. Abi had been the love of his life before Miranda, but  
there'd been one or two others that had broken Heyes' heart. First time it was Sally, but they'd just been kids then, and there was Allie. Heyes had fallen for her after things hadn't worked out with Abi the first time, when they were at each other's throats, and she had run him off threatening to turn him in if he tried to find her.

Sadly enough, Heyes had hit the same brick wall with Allie as he had with Abi-he was an outlaw and therefore he would never be husband material. But, at least that time, Heyes had been the one to end things before they went too far. He'd already fathered two children out of wedlock and he'd been bound and determined that there'd be no more. That was a line he had refused to cross with Allie. It'd taken him a long time to put her behind him, but he had. He never spoke of her and the Kid knew that soon there would be no mention of Abi or little Anya. His partner would think of them, but the pain of speaking of them would be too hard for him to bear. They would be consigned to the same cramped corner of Heyes's heart that was occupied by those he'd loved and lost.

"That's different." Heyes stated, quietly responding to the unspoken thought. "It was the very conditions of the parole that ended things with Abi. I would never willingly abandon my family."

"I know Heyes." Jed assured him. "Lom and Kenny know it too. But I wouldn't put it past Barber and the parole board to deliberately see it differently, just to be difficult."

"Yeah."

Jed brightened up in order to distract his cousin. "Well, let's not yell 'till we're hit." He said with a grin. "Where do ya' think we should start on this?"

Heyes smiled, sitting up straighter in his chair, the thrill of a new challenge taking him over. "I think we should start at the end. Track down the man I got her from and work our way back."

"You realize you're talking nine or ten years ago?"

"Yeah, yeah I know." Heyes nodded. "But we gotta start somewhere. What was the name of that town we met up in—do you remember?"

Jed sat back with an emphatic nod. "Oh yeah!" he stated. "Kinda hard for me to forget that."

Heyes sent him an impish grin. "Your first meeting with Karma was that memorable?"

Kid sent him 'the look'. "Not hardly Heyes. Nope. It was in Fleetwood, Montana, that I first became aware of Mr. Mathew Jaxton." Heyes frowned in confusion. "He first saw me in Matherville and I'm sure you remember what happened there."

"Oh." Heyes nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah, well Mr. Jaxton remembered it too." Jed commented ironically. "And as bad luck would have it, he was in Fleetwood when some yahoo tried to push me into a gunfight. The only way I could avoid it was to suggest that I actually was Kid Curry and that he was taking his life in his hands just thinking about callin' me out."

"Oh yeah," Heyes remembered. "I damn near had a heart attack; the sheriff calling us Heyes and Curry and everybody thinking what a great joke it was."

"Yeah," Kid grumbled. "Some joke. Young Mr. Jaxton was one of the most damning witnesses at my trial. His testimony alone very nearly got me hanged." Heyes cringed. "So, 'yeah'; it's kinda hard for me to forget the town of Fleetwood."

"Well, if it makes ya' feel any better, that might just give us our starting point." Heyes reasoned. "If we can get to Fleetwood then maybe we can backtrack to the town where I got Karma."

"Do you remember the name of it?"

"No." Heyes admitted quite bluntly. "It was just a town like any other town. And I kinda had other things on my mind at the time. Still, I know what direction I was coming from so we should be able to narrow it down."

"Yeah," Kid agreed. "Like you say Heyes; it's a place to start."

"Yeah," Heyes grinned as his attention got diverted towards the barns. "Oh! Here they come."

Both men smiled at the sight of Jesse being pulled towards the house. Jay and Sally were laughing with delight while each of them had a hold of one of Jesse's hands and were trying with all their might to hurry him along. Dessert was waiting for them and running seemed the most appropriate gait. Jesse himself seemed quite content just to walk the distance between the barn and the house and two children swinging on his arms didn't do much to dissuade him from that.

Heyes' smile dropped for an instant as he noticed Jesse suddenly looking like an old man and it took him by surprise. Then the impression was gone and the grin returned as Jesse rolled his eyes while he was being pulled up the steps.

"Come on Papa!" Jay was insisting. "Dessert's waiting for us."

"You two go on ahead." Jesse suggested as he wiggled his hands free. "I'll be along in a minute."

"Yeah!" J.J. let out a yell and ran into the house, his boisterous entrance instantly earning him a reprimand by his mother to remember his manners!

Jesse sighed and pulled up a chair to settle in to. "Oh my goodness," he complained. "I'm getting too old for this."

Heyes felt a slight stab at this comment, considering his fleeting impression of a moment before but his attention was quickly distracted by his daughter stopping to give him a hug.

"You want some dessert, Papa?" Sally asked him politely.

"No. I'm fine," he assured her with a smile. "But you go on though, go get some pie."

Sally smiled and disappeared into the house.

"So..." Jesse looked from one man to the other. "you two been discussing the job?"

"Yeah," Heyes told him. "We've been discussing strategy."

"Hmm," Jesse looked at Jed, "does that mean you're going to go along?"

"I better discuss it with Beth first." Jed cautioned. "But if she's okay with it, then yeah. I think it'll be fun."

"Good!"

Later that night Jed and Beth were carrying on the family tradition of discussing important matters wrapped in each other's arms, in the quiet and solitude of their bedroom. It was too dark for them to see one another but they each took comfort in the closeness and familiar warmth of the marital embrace.

"So...what do ya' think?" Jed asked quietly of his wife who was snuggled up under his right arm. "Would it bother you?"

"I'll certainly miss you." Beth admitted. "But this is part of your business with Joshua, isn't it?"

"Well yeah." Jed agreed. "But I don't have to go. Heyes could handle this one on his own if you're not comfortable with it."

"No, I think you should go." Beth assured him. "I don't ever want to get in the way of your business, and besides it's not like I'm out at our house, all alone. I'll be fine."

"I know that," her husband commented. "But will you be alright?"

Beth smiled into the darkness. "Yes," she stated as she patted his chest. "I have a good feeling about it this time. Nothing bad is going to happen." Her expression became stern and though Jed couldn't see it he heard the change in her tone. "As long as you're back home in time for the birth. I want you here for that!"

Jed grinned, squeezing her tighter. "Don't you worry about that darlin', I won't miss that for the world and I hardly think we'll be away that long."

"No, probably not," Beth agreed, "but you never know. Sometimes these things take longer than expected. But how exciting," her tone becoming animated again, "to track down Karma's heritage! Maybe you'll even see her mother and her sire—wouldn't that be wonderful!? Oh I wish I was going with you!"

Jed chuckled. "You can't do it all, Sweetheart. If you want to be a mother, than you have to give up certain things. Besides, I thought you said you'd had enough of undercover work."

"This isn't really undercover!" Beth protested. "It's more 'detection', and that can be fun. Perhaps I can help out at this end; start sending telegrams or something. I'm good at that!"

"Yes you are." Jed had to agree. "We're going to need all the help we can get, trying to follow a scent that's this cold. We'll be lucky to even find the person Heyes got the mare from in the first place!"

It was Beth's turn to chuckle. "If I know Hannibal, he's going to love every minute of this! He needs something positive to occupy his mind now and this is a subject close to his heart. You're both going to have a great time and I'm a little jealous of you, that's all."

"Jealous!?" Jed teased her. "Back to sleeping on the ground and eating Heyes' cooking? Not exactly my idea of how I was going to be spending this summer!"

"Oh come on!" Beth wasn't buying it. "You're looking forward to it just as much as he is. And like I said; I'm jealous. I wish I could come with you."

Jed knew when he was beat. "Well, your job right now is to take care of yourself and that young'un of ours. I'll write ya' whenever I can and keep you up to date on what we're doing. Hows that?"

"I suppose I'll have to settle for that." Beth sighed in mock frustration. "Oh, the plight of the married woman..."

"Ho ho! Listen to this!" Jed laughed. "You're the one who insisted that you weren't too young to be gettin' married...!"

"Getting married to you," she corrected him. "Do you think I would have given up my maidenly freedom for anyone less?"

"Nope," Jed had to concede. "You made that point very clear. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm glad ya' did, darlin'. I'm glad ya' did." He rolled over to face her and they embraced and kissed for real.

Just by looking at her, Beth's trim little figure wasn't showing any changes yet, but pressing up against her body, Jed could tell. Her tight belly had developed a soft roundness to it that Jed found surprisingly irresistible. Knowing that she was pregnant and that he was the one who had impregnated her was too strong an aphrodisiac for him to resist.

His kisses became harder and more passionate and she responded in kind; wanting him now more than ever. She allowed him into her warmth and they made love as the rest of the household quietly slept.

Three days later Heyes sat in the Sheriff's office yet again, awaiting the verdict. Jacobs was taking his sweet time about it, going to the stove and pouring them both a cup of coffee then coming to sit down at his desk, putting the cups down for them both to partake.

Heyes clenched his jaw and sent Jacobs an irritated look. He was doing it on purpose; Heyes was sure of it! Lawmen are all alike—never missing an opportunity to remind him just how much power they still have over his life.

Finally the budding detective had enough of this little game. "Well?" he asked, with a slight edge to his voice.

"Well..." Jacobs repeated and sat back, drumming his fingers on the desktop while scrutinizing the ex-con.

Heyes sighed, 'Why did they always have to do this!? Just say it! Yes or no!'

"I've been left with a decision to make." Jacobs finally stated, not looking too pleased himself about the situation.

Heyes was in a snarky mood and though he kept his mouth shut he still retained his cynical mind set. 'I'm sure you can manage to make one decision a day Sheriff. It's not that hard; just get the wheels in your brain turning, that's all.' The fact that Heyes had actually come to like Carl Jacobs, his silent rudeness was a grand testament to the frustration he was feeling.

"I have received telegrams back from all of your benefactors..." Oh, is that what you chose to call them? "they all say much the same thing."

"What?" Heyes grumbled. "No?"

"No, not...outright," Jacobs softened it a bit. "Actually Governor Barber washes his hands of the whole thing, stating that since he would never have paroled you in the first place he declines any and all responsibilities for your conduct while running around 'free as a bird'." Heyes snorted. "As for Warden Reece and Sheriff Trevors, it seems that we have all come to a similar conclusion, but they are leaving the final decision up to me."

Again Heyes sighed, crossing his arms and his legs at the same time. "And what decision is that?" he asked as politely as he could.

Jacobs smiled at him, knowing he was pushing the younger man's patience and doing it quite deliberately. In this way, Jacobs was giving Heyes the opportunity of making the decision for himself. If the ex-con was able to control his irritation and keep his temper in check then Jacobs would feel a whole lot more comfortable about giving Heyes at least some of the leeway that he was asking for. If, on the other hand, the ex-outlaw lost his temper and became abusive, well...

Heyes sighed again when an answer was not forthcoming. He didn't realize he was being tested but he had learned enough lessons the hard way over the last few years to know that getting angry wasn't going to get him what he wanted. He looked Jacobs straight in the eye and smiled. Reaching forward he picked up the coffee cup and settled back in preparation of enjoying the now warmish beverage.

Jacobs laughed. "Alright," he relented. "Basically what we are all agreed upon is that you can go as long as you stay in touch, but you can't go alone."

"But I'm not going alone." Heyes pointed out reasonably. "Jed is coming with me."

"Ah—yeah." Jacobs raised his brow. "I'll tell ya' Heyes, when it first started becoming apparent that Kid Curry and then Hannibal Heyes were going to be permanent residents of my town I just about resigned my office. But then Jed settled in. It was a bit of a rough start but I could see that he was trying and that's all I ask of a man. Now I see the same things happening with you; a bit rough at first, but you're trying." Heyes nodded, feeling a little unsure of his footing. Where was the sheriff going with this? Jacobs laughed. "Thank goodness I didn't have to deal with the two of you together though! By the time you came along, well, Jed was through the rough times and he was able to help you get settled and each of you on your own is turning into a fine citizen.

"But put you together and shake things up a little bit—damn! There's just no tellin' what you'll get up to. The pair of you have been partners for too long. You play off of each other without even thinking about it. You throw caution to the wind even at the best of times, but when you know you have Jed backing you up, it's like danger is just a game to you. And Jed! He's got a good head on his shoulders, but when he's with you he follows your lead without question."

"Oh, I wouldn't say..."

"Well I would," Jacobs cut him off, "and I do. Sending Jed off with you on something like this would be worse than sending you off alone," the sheriff almost shuddered. "There's no tellin' what shenanigans the pair of you would get up to."

"Well what are you saying Sheriff?" Heyes demanded, feeling slightly irritated again, "I can't go alone but I can't take my partner along with me either?"

"No, I'm not saying that." Jacobs corrected him. "You two play off of each other, like I said. But the things you accomplish together kinda off set the pandemonium. You've got the beginnings of a good business going and I want to see both of you succeed at it, 'cause you're good. But you're still taking baby steps when it comes to keeping yourself out of trouble. I think it's a good thing that Jed is going along with you on this. I hardly think it's going to be dangerous, but it's going to take a lot of head work and you two seem to be pretty good at that."

"So then you're giving me the go ahead with Jed coming as well even though you think we might lead each other astray." Heyes made this statement somewhat hesitantly, not sure if this was where the Sheriff was going or not.

"Yes." Jacobs agreed.

Heyes smiled and nodded. "Oh. Good."

"But Joe is going along with you."

Heyes' smile dropped. "Oh. Ahh...I'm sure there's no need for that Sheriff. I'll stay in touch with you and..."

"Nope." Jacobs shook his head. "I'm gonna need a little bit more security than that Heyes. Joe goes with you or you don't go."

Heyes bit his lower lip but he knew by now that arguing the point with Jacobs wasn't going to change anything. He was going to have to accept this decree and make the best of it and just hope that the deputy didn't get too much under foot.

"Well, when you put it that way Sheriff." Heyes grudgingly accepted.

"Good!" Jacobs was pleased. "I'll let Joe know. When do ya' think you'll be leaving?"

"You want me to do what!?" Joe was incredulous.

"Oh, now Joe, c'mon," Jacobs reasoned with the young man. "It's not like I'm expecting you to ride into a den of thieves. You've come to know Heyes pretty well over this past year and you've known Curry for six. You seem to get on with both of 'em alright."

"Yeah, here in town," Joe pointed out, "and, one at a time. You know what those two can be like when they get together and they're hot on a scent. You really think I'm going to have any control over them?"

"You're really just going along as some added insurance." Jacobs explained. "They both have families and a future here. I can't see either one of them jeopardizing that."

"Then why do I need to go at all?" Joe reasoned. "If you're so sure they'll be back..."

"Heyes is still on parole." Jacobs reminded his subordinate. "Considering the fact that this particular job could take him anywhere in the country, I think it best that he have supervision. Just having you along is going to make him think twice about doing anything stupid."

"Yeah, or dumping me the first chance they get."

"He does that and he'll be in real trouble, and he knows it," the sheriff pointed out. "Think of it as a chance to spread your wings. You've turned into a real fine law officer Joe and I couldn't ask for a better deputy. But you've learned all you're gonna learn hanging around this town all the time. You need to get out there and get some real experience under your belt. And I can't think of two better teachers for a young deputy than Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry. You'll learn more from just watching those two than you would spending years at one of those fancy colleges back east. Just go along with them Joe. Watch what they do—how they work together. If you see Heyes starting to drift back to the wild side, give him a nudge. He'll listen to ya'."

Joe snorted, "Yeah, right."

"No, he will." Jacobs insisted. "You're not that same wide-eyed youngster who Morrison dumped an angry and injured outlaw on six and a half years ago. Both of you have done a lot of growing up in those years. You're not still intimidated by him are you?"

"No." Joe emphasized. "Actually, when I thought he had murdered my uncle I thought he was the lowest piece of scum in the gutters, and I was ready to kill him myself. The only thing that stopped me from doing that was this badge. Good thing too, considering how things worked out."

"Uh huh," Jacobs nodded. "Good lesson about taking the law into your own hands. Sometimes obvious guilt isn't so obvious once all the facts are known."

"Yeah," Joe agreed and then he shrugged. "Naw, Heyes is alright. Curry too. I just feel like a third wheel on something like this and I doubt very much that either one of them wants me along."

"Doesn't matter what they want." Jacobs was adamant. "Bottom line; Heyes is still on parole. In order to keep his numerous benefactors happy he will accept you coming along. End of discussion."

Joe leaned up against the bar, nursing a beer and chewing a lip. He had anticipated an enjoyable summer of courting a certain Miss Pansy MacAlistar. Having to spend it nursemaiding a couple of ex-outlaws on some wild horse chase instead just didn't strike him as an agreeable alternative. On the other hand, his boss had made a valid point; he couldn't help but learn a lot just watching those two working together.

Joe enjoyed being a deputy and wanted to make a career of law enforcement. His folks were finding the ranch too much for them now and were thinking about selling it and moving into town. If they did that then Joe would be freed up to go back east to one of those 'fancy' colleges and study the law. Maybe even get on at Bannerman's or Pinkerton's and become a real detective.

Joe smiled to himself at that thought. He remembered with some embarrassment being chided by Dr. Hester Bentham concerning his squeamishness at hearing about what he considered to be 'private feminine matters'. He took a gulp of beer and chuckled. The worse thing about that subtle reprimand is that the good doctor had been completely in the right. If he wanted to carry on in law enforcement and maybe even become a detective then he would have to get over being so sensitive.

Elise Daignault had taught him that lesson loud and clear. Oh not intentionally, of course and if she hadn't been so dog-gone beautiful then the lesson would not have had anywhere near the impact that it did. Just the fact that she had been a woman had distracted Joe off his game, add to the fact that she was indeed a beautiful woman had really caused Joe no end of distraction. In hind-sight he realized how her gender had affected his ability to perform his duty as a law man and it brought home to him just how wet behind the ears he really was.

Perhaps Sheriff Jacobs was right; Joe needed to break free from his complacency. He was getting too comfortable with his job here in town. It was easy; it was a known routine and Joe had let it become his world. So much so that as soon as Jacobs had suggested he step out of that comfort zone, he had resented it and even fought against it. What had happened to his sense of adventure? His need for a challenge? Good heavens! He was just in his mid-twenties and he was already thinking like an old man.

He quietly shook his head as these thoughts made their way through his mind. This would not do. It was time for him to break away, to move ahead. And Jacobs had made another valid point; who would be more appropriate to teach him how to be a better law man than two ex-outlaws? This could be fun. This will be an adventure. This will definitely be an education.

He turned around and leaned his elbows against the bar. He was feeling confident about events now and even a little impatient for them to be on their way—until he saw those two gentlemen in question making a grand entrance into the saloon. Suddenly all the confidence in him drizzled away as those dark brown eyes found his and the impish face lit up in a cheeky grin.

"Hey there, Deputy!" Heyes greeted him with an over-exuberance that Joe knew was more of a tease than a welcome. "I hear you're gonna be joining us on our little adventure."

"Yeah, that's right Heyes." Joe confirmed. "I got no more choice about it than you do, so..."

"Naw, c'mon. It'll be fun." Heyes told him. "Sleepin' under the stars..."

"Drinkin' Heyes' coffee..." Jed put in.

"Eatin' Kid's cooking..."

"Listenin' to Heyes' theorizen'..."

"Puttin' up with Jed's gripin'..."

Bill put in an appearance and interrupted the appreciation society. "You fella's gonna order anything or are ya' just gonna continue antagonizing the deputy?"

"Oh. No, I'll have a beer." Heyes smiled at the bar keep.

"Yeah, make that two," Jed seconded. "How about you Joe? Another beer?"

"No thanks," Joe sighed. "I'd best be gettin' home. When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." Heyes told him. "Bright and early. Pack light."

"Yup." Joe finished his beer and headed for the door. "See ya' in the morning."

Heyes and the Kid leaned against the bar, watching the young man leaving the saloon. The smile dropped from Heyes' face and he let loose a heavy sigh.

"Yup. This is gonna be fun." He commented dryly.

Much to Jed's chagrin, common sense forced him to spend the night in town rather than stay home and ride in extra early the following morning. It was going to be an early enough start and he didn't want to be the one holding things up.

He went through a mixture of emotions while he was preparing his kit for living on the trail again. In some ways he was looking forward to campfire dinners and sleeping under the stars. Heyes wasn't the only one who suffered from itchy feet once in a while. But he also remembered the realities of that life-style and cringed at the thought of sleeping on the hard ground and waking up in the wee hours, soaked to the skin because of an unexpected down pour.

He was also going to miss his wife and still felt a disquieting at leaving her while in her current condition.

"Don't be silly." Beth admonished him as he got his gear together. "We already discussed this. And it's not as if I was going to be alone."

"I know." Jed agreed yet again. "It just don't feel right."

Beth laughed. "Yeah, until you get out there with Hannibal and fall back into your old routine!" She teased him. "Then it'll feel right enough. Just don't fall back into the routine of robbing banks."

"Aww Darlin'..." Jed looked at her in mock hurt. "Would I do a thing like that? Besides, that's why Joe's coming along; to make sure we stay legal."

"He's along to make sure Hannibal stays legal."

"Well that pretty much comes to the same thing." Jed commented.

Beth suddenly turned serious. "You don't really think Sheriff Jacobs expects Joshua to..."

"No." Jed was quick to assure her and he smiled and took her into his arms. "He's just trying to keep everybody happy. Joe's a pretty good lawman but he's still young. Jacobs knows that if me and Heyes decided to dump him we wouldn't have any trouble doing it. I kinda suspect that Jacobs has set us up as teachers on this one; show Joe the ropes on what it's really like living out there on the trail.. We have Joe along for credibility and Jacobs gets himself a better deputy when everything is said and done."

Beth laughed. "That's sneaky!"

"Uh huh," Jed agreed. "Heyes is none too happy about it either, but he'll get over it. You know Heyes; he just doesn't like being told what to do."

"Miranda has her hands full with him."

Jed grinned. "I think Miranda has an advantage over the rest of us."

"Oh?" Beth snuggled into his arms even more, grinning up at him. "Are you saying that I have an advantage over others where you're concerned?"

"You sure do, darlin'. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Beth smiled and they lingered over delicious kiss until they had to come up for air. Jed grinned and gave her a little pat on the bum before returning to his packing.

"Is that all you're taking with you? Beth asked.

"What?" Jed asked her as he scrutinized his saddle bags. "Heyes always packs the coffee pot with the bag of grounds stuffed inside it. I pack the frying pan and the plates. Extra socks in case it gets cold—cold feet when you're ridin' is pure misery—ah, bandages just in case. Heyes has some of those too. Ah, let's see...some salt and flour. Hopefully Heyes remembers to pack some jerky, though, I should be able to shoot most of our meat;small bag of grain for Gov, for those nights when we can't get to a livery; a compass and a watch," he smiled as he held up a small bottle. "and whiskey for those particularly cold nights; or for disinfecting a wound, whichever comes first. I think that's everything. Oh, and extra boxes of ammo for the revolver and the rifle. Yup, that's everything."

"What do you mean 'that's everything?'" Beth sounded incredulous. "What about a change of clothing!? What about writing paper? What about an extra sweeter?"

Jed laughed. "Darlin' those are luxuries we don't have room for," Jed told her. "We're gonna be travelin' across country, sleepin' outdoors. We can only take what we can fit in the saddle bags. I just hope Joe knows how to pack light for travel."

"Well that just hardly seems like enough." Beth insisted. "You hardly have any food. What if you get caught out in the rain and your clothes get all wet...?"

Jed smiled and took his wife into a hug again. "Like I said; I can shoot fresh meat. We often find mushrooms or corn and even apples while on the trail. Wet clothes mean finding shelter, building a fire and letting things dry out."

"Oh, dear." Beth exclaimed. "No wonder you wanted out of that life. It's amazing that neither of you died from pneumonia."

"Believe me; we both had our bouts with it," Jed admitted. "but, even at that, the worse bout Heyes had was while he was in prison. Doesn't say too much for prison life, does it?"

Beth felt somber. "No," she stated bluntly.

Jed tightened his hug. "Now don't you start worryin' darlin'," he told her, "we're comin' into summer; everything is going to be fine."

"Well, I suppose so," she relented. "but, you keep in touch, you hear? Don't you dare leave me in the dark."

Jed laughed. "I promise, I will write every week. Besides we might need you to send telegrams or do some research, who knows. In any case, I'll be sure to stay in touch."

"Alright."

Miranda Thornton Heyes had a very special talent for being able to wake herself up at any given time in the morning. She had set the newfangled alarm clock to sound off at 5:00 a.m. But she set her own inner clock to awaken at 4:50 so she could be up and getting the stove lit and coffee on before the rest of the household needed to stir.

Awareness started to come to her at 4:35 and she fought against the inevitability of it. It was still dark in the bedroom, with a chill in the morning air and the last thing she wanted to do was leave the warmth of her bed and of her husband's body, but she had set the alarm clock in her mind and it wasn't about to let her off the hook. As much as she wanted to drift back into seductive sleep, her mind was waking up and sleep was being driven away.

She stretched and moaned with her awakening breath and snuggled in up against her husband again. She really didn't want to get out of bed. Hannibal snored softly beside her and she smiled, her body still glowing from their late night love making. Even with Jed bedded down in the family room; Hannibal had seduced her, muffling her erotic moans with kisses and quiet laughter so as not to disturb the other members of the household.

She smiled with the memory and then groaned with the acceptance of having to get up. She finally rolled over and picking up the clock, she turned off the alarm at 4:50 a.m., precisely. She forced herself out of bed and quickly pulled on her housecoat over top of her night dress, pulled on her socks and slippers and quietly made her way out of the bedroom and into the hallway. She tiptoed past the living room where she could hear Jed softly snoring in his makeshift bed on the floor and she made her way down to the kitchen.

Dawn was still an hour or so away but she knew the innards of her house so well that she didn't need a light to find her way around her own kitchen. Within moments she had the lamps lit and the stove going to bring heat into the room before slinking away to the water closet to attend to the most pressing of her morning toiletries. Coffee was next on the agenda and once that was up and perking she braved the chill of the larder and brought out the pre-cut bacon and pre-mixed flapjack batter. She'd had the common sense to prepare these ingredients the evening before in order to make this particular morning go a little bit smoother.

With the coffee well on it's way to perking she was just about to get out the large cast iron pan for the bacon when she felt arms circle her waist and the warm manly breath of her husband tickle the back of her neck. She smiled and leaned back into him.

"Good morning, Sleepy-head." she greeted him. "I was beginning to think the whole morning was going to pass you by."

Heyes took a moment to glance out the kitchen window at the still enveloping darkness. "It's not my fault you're up before the birds. Why didn't you wake me?"

"I was just about to." Miranda assured him. "But I know how you are before you get your morning coffee."

Heyes was about to come back with some scathing retort, but a yawn stopped it before it had even fully formed in his mind. Miranda chuckled.

"The coffee's almost ready." She told him. "Why don't you start your morning off right and go wake up Jed?"

"Oh." Heyes grinned maliciously at the prospect. "Yeah. Haven't done that in a long time."

He gave his wife a gentle peck on the neck then made his way quietly towards the living room. Miranda smiled as she set strips of bacon to sizzle enticingly in the warmed up pan and then turned her attention to the bowl of flapjack batter. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips at the sounds of muffled cursing and then laughter coming from the living room.

"I swear," she commented to herself, "they're still a pair of little boys. And I hope he never grows up."

A few moments later and Jed made his way into the kitchen looking bleary eyed and disheveled. He came up behind Miranda and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled as she turned the bacon.

"Is my husband being a bully again?" She asked him.

"Ohhh," Jed groaned. "I think he enjoys it too much."

"Never mind," Randa consoled him, "coffee's ready."

"You're an angel."

"You do realize that was my wife you were kissing?", came the voice from the hallway.

"I thought we were partners." Jed defended himself as he poured himself a cup. "Coffee?"

"Ohh, yeah," Heyes grinned and came forward to accept the proffered cup. "Mornings are still pretty cold."

"Well, sit yourselves down and have breakfast." Miranda told them as she placed a stacked plate of flapjacks in the middle of the table. "There's bacon as well, and some honey."

The scraping of chairs took over the kitchen as the two men settled in and helped themselves. Miranda poured herself a coffee and sat down to join them, helping herself to breakfast. Everyone was vaguely aware of a cat weaving in and out amongst the chair legs.

"Are you sure you have everything ready to go?" Miranda asked as she broke off a piece of bacon and placed it on the floor. "As you noted, dear it is still cold in the mornings. Suppose you have to spend a night outdoors? Perhaps you should take some extra blankets."

The partners smiled at each other over their mouthfuls.

"What?" asked Miranda.

"Don't you think Jed and I know how to rough it?" Heyes asked his wife. "We used to spend our whole lives out on the trail, sleeping in a bed was the rarity. I think we're good."

"Well, you're a bit older than 'the last time'." Miranda felt obliged to point out. "You might not find it quite so easy now."

"See Heyes," Kid spoke up with a smile. "Isn't it nice to have a pretty woman at home worryin' about ya'? Beth was hovering around me too while I was gettin' packed up. She just didn't seem to think that I knew what I was doin'."

Heyes smiled over his mouthful of flapjacks but a glance to his wife let him know that she wasn't finding any of this funny. As much as she tried to hide it, worry was seeping into her dark eyes and pressing the line of her lips.

"Oh now, we'll be alright." He consoled her. "It's just another job, remember? There's nothing dangerous about it." He smiled again. "It'll be fun."

Then Jed, who was sitting across the table from Heyes and could see down the hallway, suddenly smiled himself and gestured for the others to take a look. Hannibal and Miranda glanced to the kitchen entrance and both smiled

Sally was stumbling her way, bleary-eyed but determined into the kitchen so as not to miss out on saying 'goodbye' to her Pa. Heyes chuckled when he saw her, bundled up in her housecoat and barely awake but still making her way over to where he sat at the table.

"Good morning Sweetheart." He greeted her.

"'Mornin', Papa."

"C'mon." He said as he lifted her up onto his lap where she instantly snuggled in, tucking her feet into her housecoat to keep them warm. "Come to see us off have you?"

"Hmm."

Jed and Miranda exchanged smiles.

"She'll probably be asleep again before you're half way through your breakfast." Miranda predicted.

"That's alright." Heyes grinned. "She's putting in the effort."

"You want some flapjacks and bacon, sweetie?" Miranda asked her daughter.

"Hmm," was the only response she got from Sally.

"Oh well." Miranda smiled as she re-filled coffee cups. "I'll make her something later. Are you alright like that?" she asked, as she noticed her husband trying to eat one-handed while the other supported his daughter.

"I'll manage." Heyes stated bravely.

Jed smiled. "I'll cut your meat up for you if you want."

"Ha! Right," Heyes was not convinced. "You're not getting anywhere near my breakfast."

"What?" asked Kid, innocently, "Just offerin' to help, Heyes."

"Uh, huh."

Showing impeccable timing, Sally started to squirm her way out of her father's lap just in time for breakfast to be done and over with. She went over to stand sleepily by her mother, but was awake enough to help herself to a piece of bacon that Miranda had left on her plate, unguarded.

Heyes took a last gulp of coffee and smiled over at his cousin. "You ready?"

Jed popped his last piece of bacon into his mouth, washed it down with coffee and slid his chair away from the table.

"Yup," he answered, while still chewing. "You make a real fine breakfast, Randa. Thanks for getting up early and preparing it for us."

"You're welcome." Randa smiled at him and then sent a slightly worried glance to her husband.

Heyes was already on the move towards the front alcove where all their supplies were piled up and waiting for them. Jed noticed his partner's inattention and with a smile towards Randa followed him over to their belongings. The two ladies stood by and watched while the two men pulled on boots, strapped on holsters and checked their handguns. Rifles were brought down from the high shelf and were also checked. Next bandanas were tired around throats, warm coats and gloves against the morning chill were adorned, followed lastly by hats.

Jed looked back over to Heyes' family noticing again that neither of them were looking too happy. "Heyes..."

"Yeah, I know." Heyes acknowledged quietly. "Give me a minute."

"Sure."

Heyes set his gear back down on the floor and went over to say 'goodbye' to his girls. Before either of the adults could begin, Sally stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her father's legs. Heyes stroked her hair and squatted down to be on eye level with her.

"What's this all about now?" He asked her. "I thought we already talked about this."

"I know." Sally pouted. "I just don't want you to go."

"I've gone away before and you didn't get upset." Heyes reminded her. "Why is this time any different?"

"Those other times you were only gone a few days." Sally quietly pointed out. "This time you could be gone for a long time."

"Oh now, it's not going to be that long." Heyes assured her. "And you're going to be so busy with school and your friends and with helping your mother, the time will just fly by."

"I don't want you to go." Sally insisted. "Why do you always have to go away?"

"Now we've talked about this." Heyes reminded her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "This is my job. This is what I do to contribute to our family. I know it takes me away from you but don't I spend time with you when I'm home?" A somber nod from the daughter. "Yes. And we have fun, don't we?" Another somber nod. Heyes hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "So, you be good and mind your mother. I'll be back, and I'll bring something nice for you when I come. Okay?"

Sally smiled and nodded. "Okay Papa. You be careful now, you hear me?"

Heyes nearly broke up laughing and from the sound of a muffled snicker coming from behind him, he figured Jed was having the same problem. The seriousness on the child's face gave him the strength to remain somber and nod acquiescence.

"Yes, I'll be careful."

"You promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Okay."

Heyes gave her another kiss, "You look after Mouse for me alright? But don't feed her too much, she's getting fat." He then stood up and took his wife into his arms. They held each other tightly for a moment and then kissed rather passionately for a goodbye.

"You be careful." Randa seconded her daughter. "And keep in touch."

"I will."

"You, too, Jed. Look after yourselves out there; stay out of trouble."

"Who? Us? Trouble?" Jed was good at the innocence game but he smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll bring Heyes back to ya' safe and sound. Don't worry."

"Geesh! You'd think we were going to blow up the Denver Mint." Heyes complained. "It's just a little  
information finding trip; nothing to get worked up about."

"Yes, dear," Randa teased him. "Just be careful anyways."

"I will." Heyes assured her. "Goodbye." He ruffled his daughter's hair until she giggled. "Goodbye sweetheart."

"Bye, Papa."

"Bye, darlin'."

"Bye, Uncle Jed."

The two men gathered up their gear along with the saddle bags and bed rolls and leaving the house, trotted down the front steps and headed towards the livery. The sun was just coming up over the horizon and was promising another nice warm spring day. In the meantime however, it was still chilly and both men tightened up the collars on their coats and could see their breath in the morning air.

"It's kinda nice, ain't it Heyes?"

"What's that?"

"Havin' somebody to miss us while we're gone."

Heyes grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Ya' think Joe will be waiting for us at the livery?"

"He better be." Heyes commented. "Or he'll find himself left behind."

Jed snorted, knowing an empty threat when he heard one. "Whatever you say, Heyes; whatever you say."

They approached the livery barn and noted that the light was on inside and were relieved to know that Eric was up and getting their horses fed and ready for the trail. Eric was a pretty good fella when it came to looking after his boarded horses and their owners. Goodness knows that David pushed him to the limit sometimes, banging on the door at all hours of the night, needing Rudy to be tacked up in a hurry. Of course just because Eric would do that for the town doctor doesn't mean he'd be willing to do that for just anybody. But he was still willing to get up extra early for his regulars on those occasions that it might be called for.

The two men entered the barn and were instantly greeted by a number of snorts and foot stamping though most were too busy munching breakfast hay to put a head over a stall door. That would have been expecting too much. But the two horses in question were already standing in the isle, all tacked up and waiting for the day to begin. At the sound of people entering the barn, Eric stepped out from between the two animals and nodded a greeting.

"Morning, fellas."

"Eric."

"Hey, Eric," Heyes responded. "Thanks for getting them ready."

"No problem," he assured them. "They've had a good feeding so don't run 'em for a couple 'a hours. Nice steady jog will do."

"Yessir," Heyes grinned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jed seconded.

"Don't give me that." Eric wagged a finger at them. "I know what you young fellas are like. Get on a horse first thing and run the bejesus outa 'em. Than ya' blame me when they come up colicky. When you get back here, I wanna see these horses in the same shape they're in now—you hear me? I want 'em back sound, I want 'em back fat and I want 'em back with all their hides on 'em or there'll be hell to pay."

"Jeez, Eric," Kid grumbled, "you do realize they're our horses..."

"I don't care whose horses they be." Eric retorted. "When they're in my barn, they're mine! You just make sure you look after 'em!"

Heyes grinned. "Don't worry, we'll look after them."

"Yeah," the Kid agreed, "like they was our very own."

"See that ya' do." Eric warned them. "Now I got things ta' do here. Don't have time to stand around jawin' with you fellas..." And Eric made his way back to the feed room to carry on with his chores.

"No, don't worry!" Jed called after him. "We'll see ourselves out!"

The partners exchanged looks and both chuckled as they each turned to their respective horses.

"It's a good thing Eric is so good with horses," Heyes commented, "because he sure ain't one for socializing."

"You can say that again. Hey there, young man," Jed patted his gelding on the neck and the dark muzzle came around to sniff at him.

Gov was a little antsy, not really sure what was going on. Something was in the air and he knew that much, but just what it was he could not fathom. Karma, on the other hand had her ears pricked and was mouthing her bit in anticipation. She knew from her human's attire and the various items of gear being tied to her saddle that they were off on another adventure. She stamped a foot impatiently, wanting to be off. She didn't like living in town and getting out into the wide open spaces again suited her right down to her hooves.

Heyes laughed and gave her a pat on the neck. "Patience, my girl," he told her, "We'll be off just as soon as the wayward deputy gets here."

"Then I guess we're off, 'cause I'm here."

All four of them turned to the sound of the voice to see Joe standing in the early dawn light. His horse was standing right behind him, all geared up and ready for the trail.

Heyes smiled. "'Morning, Joe."

"Right on time," Kid commented.

The partners untied their horses and led them down the aisle and outside into the cool morning. Everybody did a last minute check on their girths and mounted up. They all just sat there, looking at each other, waiting for somebody to make a move.

"Well, which way we goin'?" asked Joe.

Heyes smiled and looked over to his cousin. "Well Kid, first stop on our journey is your favorite town; which way?"

Jed smiled back and then turned Gov's head towards Montana. "Follow me boys. We got a long ways to go before we can even get started."

**To be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

Encounters

"I don't understand why we have to ride all the way to Montana," Joe mumbled again for the umpteenth time. "It's going to take us all summer just to get there."

Heyes sighed with theatrical frustration. "Like I told ya' before; I wanted to bring Karma with us in case somebody along the way recognizes her. She does tend to stay in one's memory you know."

"Yes I know, but..."

"Just trust me, alright," Heyes threw back at the young deputy. "We know what we're going."

"I'm not saying you don't know what you're doing Heyes," Joe assured him. "I'm just saying that it seems to me that..."

Joe's continued argument was cut short by the loud explosion of Kid Curry's colt 45. Joe nearly jumped out of his skin and the young black mare he was riding went right along with him.

"Jezzus!" Joe complained as he pulled his horse back under control. "What are ya' doing!?:

Jed didn't answer him but booted Gov into a gallop and swept past the other two riders. Joe followed him with his eyes and then locked gazes with Heyes. Heyes just smiled sweetly and pushed Karma into a trot to follow along in the Kid's wake.

A moment later Jed came walking out of the bushes with a triumphant smile on his face while he held up a large hare.

"Supper!" he announced.

Heyes just snorted. "For me," he pointed out. "What are you gonna eat?"

"Right Heyes," Jed responded as he pulled a leather thong from his saddle bag and wrapping the strap around the hare's hind legs, hung the carcass from his saddle horn. "If you're sayin' there's only enough here for one than I'm the one, since I shot it. You and Joe can eat biscuits and jerky."

"No," Heyes continued to insist while Jed re-mounted. "I'm the leader. Jesse hired me and I hired you so that means I get first dibs."

"None of you would be doing this job if I wasn't along with you so that kind of makes me top dog," Joe pointed out. "I'm the legal representative here, so I get pickings."

Heyes and Curry both looked at Joe for a moment, then without saying a word went back to their own argument.

"Jesse didn't just hire you Heyes," Kid reminded him. "he hired both of us. Plus we're equal partners so you ain't the boss over me. I shot the rabbit, so I eat it."

The two partners continued on their way with the culinary debate still going on between them. Joe followed along behind feeling like the third man out. He was resenting every minute of this. Why had Sheriff Jacobs insist he come along? Obviously these two men did not want him here and they were doing everything they could to let him know he was simply a thorn in their sides.

Another shot rang out and Joe's mare, Black Betty, did another little song and dance while Joe, who was not as startled this time, tried to soothe her nerves.

Jed jumped down from the saddle and trotted into the underbrush on his own this time, leaving his gelding to stand patiently by his companion. Curry rummaged around in the bushes for a moment and then stood up with another triumphant grin. He came out of the brush and back to his horse, holding up another much smaller rabbit.

"There ya' go Heyes," Kid told him as he treated this rabbit the same way he had the first. "you can have this one."

"What do ya' mean, I can have that one?" Heyes snarked. "It's half the size of the first!"

"Yeah, but as we all know you only eat half as much as a normal person," Jed pointed out. "so I get the first one and you can have this one."

Kid mounted up again and they carried on.

"Seems to me there's enough there for all three of us," Joe observed. "especially along with some biscuits and those apples we found."

Silence from the two men up in front. Heyes nudged his mare into a trot, picking up the pace for a while. Joe sighed and tried not to let his frustration show through.

The next half hour went by in relative silence as the two partners kept up a steady pace while scanning the landscape for a suitable camp site. Joe continued to nurse a slow burn and wondered what the evening around the campfire was going to bring. Were they going to continue giving him the cold shoulder? What did they think that was going to accomplish? It wasn't as if Joe was to going get into a pout and turn around to go home. But still, they were making things very uncomfortable for him, as though all of this was his fault and he just hoped the silent treatment wasn't going to last the whole trip.

A movement caught the corner of his eye and almost on instinct, though not quite as fast as the Kid, Joe pulled his six-shooter and pulled the trigger. The two horses ahead of him started and jumped forward, causing both riders to momentarily lose their balance. They pulled their respective animals around and threw accusing stares back at the deputy.

Joe smiled as he jumped to the ground and trotted over to the shrubbery. He parted the leafy branches and reaching down grabbed hold of a handful of soft tawny fur. Triumphantly, he held up the large hare and grinned at the other two men.

"Looks like I'm eatin' better than either of ya'," Joe crowed. "This one's bigger than those other two put together."

The two men sent looks to one another as Joe returned to his mare and tied the rabbits hind feet to his saddle strings. He was still grinning as he mounted up and pushed Betty into a trot. He nudged his mare in between the two other horses and trotted on ahead of the partners, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Heyes and Kid watched him go through and then looked at each other.

"Hmm," was Heyes' first comment. "I didn't know he could shoot like that. Did you know he could shoot like that?"

"Nope," Kid conceded. "I had no idea he could shoot like that."

"Yeah," Heyes creased his brow as they followed after the deputy. "we may have to watch our step around him."

"Hmm huh."

Later that afternoon, a decent camping spot had been found and everyone set about doing their part in getting everything organized for the evening meal. Heyes got the wood and kindling gathered and set about building a fire. Then got busy mixing up the biscuit batter and slicing the apples. Joe un-tacked the horses and made sure they had access to grass and water as well as a small serving of grain for everyone. That done he set about spreading out the various bedrolls and organizing the sleeping arrangements for everyone in the party. Jed was busy skinning and dressing the three rabbits.

Early evening, the first rabbit that Kid had shot was on a spit and was cooking along quite nicely. Heyes was cutting up the other two rabbits in preparation of frying them while Curry had disappeared into the woods somewhere. Joe sat back against his saddle and watched as the parolee busied himself getting dinner ready.

For some reason it just struck Joe as odd that this man whom he had at one time found very intimidating was now sitting in front of him, cooking dinner as though it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be doing. He had it down pat, automatically turning the roasting rabbit at timed intervals while alternating between frying up the other rabbits and pouring dollops of batter into the greasy skillet to pan fry them as well. Joe smiled and chuckled a little to himself. Heyes glanced back as he took a bite of apple.

"You want an apple?" he asked the deputy. "Dinner's gonna be a while yet."

"Oh," Joe was caught by surprise. "yeah, okay. Where'd Curry go?"

"Finding the rest of dinner," Heyes informed him as he handed him some apple slices.

"The rest of it?" Joe was surprised. "Looks to me like we have enough already. I mean if we're each going to be eating a whole rabbit apiece, plus..."

"A whole rabbit apiece?" Heyes was incredulous. "Really Joe! Just how much food do you need? Just one of these coonies is enough to feed the three of us tonight." he shook his head with a reprimanding air. "You really need to cut back on how much you eat or you'll be going to fat before you know it. Oh here comes the Kid."

Joe was still staring at Heyes, open mouthed and indignant when Jed Curry came back into the camp site carrying a large gathering of wild onions. He grinned as he dumped the offerings onto the grass beside Heyes and sat down with a satisfied 'humph'.

"There ya' go Heyes," he smiled. "your favourites."

"Yeah!" Heyes grinned as he brushed the dirt off the onions and then sliced them up to fry in the rabbit grease. "I haven't had these in years. You always were good at finding them."

Jed shrugged. "Just gotta know where to look. The rabbit ready?"

Heyes shrugged. "I donno. Test it."

Kid came forward with a sigh and taking out his knife he cut into the meat on the spit. "No blood. Looks good Heyes. Let's eat."

"Yeah, yeah," Heyes grumbled. "just wait a minute. The onions aren't done yet."

"They'll be ready by the time I get the rabbit cut up," Kid pointed out. "and the biscuits are done ain't they?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." That was good enough for Jed and he reached for the three plates, and taking the spit off the fire began to split up the rabbit.

"Gheesh," Heyes complained again. "you're as bad as Joe. He seemed to have the idea that we were going to be eating all three rabbits tonight."

"Really?" Jed was incredulous. "I don't think even I could eat one of these coonies all on my own. Especially with all the fixin's we got as well."

"Oh c'mon!" Joe finally spoke up. "that's what you fellas said!"

Heyes and Jed smiled at each other while Jed held up a plate full of roasted rabbit and Heyes plunked a biscuit onto it, followed by a serving of wild onions.

"You gotta stop believing everything you hear, deputy," Jed suggested as he handed the plate over to the young man. "I think you'll find this is plenty."

Joe accepted the offering but found himself with nothing to say.

Heyes was slowly coming into consciousness and all he was aware of at first was just how uncomfortable he was. The prison cots always were hard and lumpy but on this particular morning he was really feeling the aches and pains. What was with that? He tried to think back to the previous day and narrow down to what he had done to himself to cause such discomfort—or had Carson beat him up again?

Coffee. There was coffee brewing. That's odd. He shouldn't be able to smell that all the way up from the kitchen. He sniffed. Cool air touched his nostrils and a soft breeze ruffled the bangs of hair across his forehead. Hair? On his forehead?

He pushed himself further into consciousness and stretched. Ouch! Damn he was sore. He opened his eyes and he knew that what he had been thinking was simply a semi-dream. He sighed with relief and contentment, then sat up in the chilly morning air, all prepared for a good cup of coffee. His breath caught with pain and he gasped, suddenly frozen in space, momentarily unable to move.

Joe glanced over at him. "About time you're up," he admonished the great outlaw leader. "You're getting soft Heyes. Too many late nights playing poker."

Heyes finally got his breath back and sat up the rest of the way. "Oh my goodness!" he groaned. "Why am I so sore?"

"Not used to sleeping on the ground anymore, are ya'?" Joe asked him as he offered Heyes a cup of coffee.

Heyes reached for the cup and froze again. Joe smiled and standing up from his fire where left-over rabbit and biscuits were warming, he took the extra step over to the semi-prone man and gave him the cup. Heyes accepted it, looking a little sheepish as he attempted to work out the knots in his back.

"About time you're awake Heyes," came Jed's voice from the camp parameter. "How ya' feelin'?"

The only response he got was another groan. Kid smiled as he sat down by the fire and poured himself a coffee.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed. "My right shoulder seized up over night like you wouldn't believe. I suppose we should be taking David's advice a little more to heart."

"Don't talk to me about David right now," Heyes griped as he dragged himself to his feet. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Uh huh. Take your time."

Heyes stumbled off to tend to morning business while Joe smiled to himself and started dishing out breakfast.

By the time breakfast was done and the horses fed, the spring sun was beginning to warm up the air nicely and everybody was in better spirits. Karma was pawing the ground, eager to be off. She was enjoying this new adventure and having to hang around and wait for everyone else to get ready was very trying on her patience.

Heyes smiled and gave her a pat on the neck as he threw his bags and bedroll up behind the saddle and tied them down. The other two men were doing the same and very soon the camp was broken and the group was once again underway.

As usual Heyes was out in front, setting the pace while Kid brought up the rear in order to keep an eye on things. Everything was pretty quiet and neither one of them expected any trouble, at least not while they were still in Colorado. Once they crossed over the border into Wyoming it might be a different story. Some people had long memories.

The first three days of travel time did indeed go by uneventfully. The weather stayed agreeable and the horses were in fine spirits. Heyes and Jed learned their lesson that first night and took more time at the next camp to make themselves a softer 'mattress' to sleep on than just the hard ground. Both of them tended to have old injuries stiffen up on them over night but it wasn't quite the same shock as the first time and they figured out ways to lessen the impact. Whether they liked it or not, the suggestions that David had given to them about how to keep themselves from binding up always seemed to work the best. Heyes couldn't help but wonder how Tricia stood it; being married to someone who was always right.

On the morning of the third day, Joe quietly sat his horse and listened to the debate between his two travelling companions. It was the same debate that had started up the evening before as they finished up the last of the rabbit stew and now was continuing on as they prepared to cross over into Wyoming.

"I still don't feel comfortable going in to Cheyenne," Jed was saying. "It's one thing to be visiting the governor with Lom or Steven along with me, but I didn't make myself too welcome last time I was in the saloon."

"There's more than one saloon in Cheyenne," Heyes pointed out. "we'll just stay away from the one where they know ya'. Besides, ya' know the business that needs to be taken care of has to be done in Cheyenne."

"You coulda' set it up just as easily in Laramie," Kid persisted.

Heyes frowned. "And you know that Laramie is not my favourite town," he countered. "If we're going there to visit Kenny or the orphanage, then fine but otherwise I don't want to go there."

"And I don't want to go to Cheyenne!"

"Well I'm not going to Laramie!"

Joe finally reached his limit. "Why don't ya' toss a coin?" he asked innocently.

Both men stopped arguing and stared at him. Joe looked from one to the other and shrugged.

"Well?" he asked.

"Cause like I said, 'I have business to attend to in Cheyenne," Heyes reminded him. "so that's where we're going."

"Why don't you go on to Cheyenne and I'll meet ya' in Laramie?" Kid suggested.

"Split up?" Heyes asked, almost mockingly. "C'mon Kid, you know that never goes well."

"Well going to Cheyenne won't..."

"Again, I suggest..." Joe cut in. "... that you flip a coin."

Heyes and Jed both stared at Joe again.

"Fine," Heyes agreed as he began digging into his vest pocket. "we'll flip on it. Tails we go to Laramie, heads we go to Cheyenne."

"Oh no Heyes," Jed stopped him. "Joe's coin, and he flips it."

"Fine!" Heyes snarked and waved Joe to proceed. "Joe can flip it."

Joe smiled and digging into his own shirt pocket, pulled out an innocent looking coin.

Four hours later the three men trotted their horses down one of the busier streets of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Heyes was looking pleased, Jed was looking nervous and Joe was wondering when this competitiveness was going to end. How in the world these two men had stayed partners for so many years was beyond the deputy's understanding.

At least Heyes was being considerate enough of Jed's situation to lead the party to a section of town where neither of them were as likely to be recognized. Heyes was banking on the fact that it had been over six years since their very public trials and that hopefully few if any of the locals would still remember what they looked like. Unfortunately the side-long glances that were occasionally sent their way belied that assumption and Heyes silently regretted not taking the Kid's advice and go to Laramie instead.

Too late now though; everything was already set so they would just have to make the best of it. They all turned their horses in at a particular hitching rail and just sat there for a few moments, giving Heyes a chance to get his nerve up.

"You want me to come in with you?" Joe asked him.

Heyes took a deep sigh. "No, that's alright Joe," he assured him. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now. Oh well." He took another deep sigh and dismounting he handed Karma's reins up to the Kid. "I shouldn't be too long."

"Yup."

Heyes stepped into the oh so familiar office and felt a fluttering of nerves go through his chest. '_This_ _is silly.'_ he reprimanded himself. _'You have nothing to be worried about.' _ The next instant the man behind the desk glanced up and confirmed Heyes' own thinking. He stood up and smiled, extending a hand in greeting.

"Heyes," he said. "you made it. You're looking good. Married life seems to agree with you."

Heyes smiled, relief shining through his dimples. "Sheriff Turner," he returned the greeting and the hand shake. "good to see you again."

"Uh huh," Turner sounded dubious as he pulled open his desk drawer and brought out the ledger. "I received the telegram from Sheriff Jacobs letting me know you were on your way, so you know the routine. Just sign here and don't forget to drop back in before you leave in the morning."

"Yes I know," Heyes sighed. "I won't forget." He took the offered pen, signed his name and the time and then straightened up to leave.

"Ah, Jed Curry with you?" Turner asked, trying to be discreet.

"Yes, Sheriff. He is."

"I don't want any trouble," Turner pointed out. "Just make sure you stay away from the south end of town, alright?"

Heyes nodded. "I know Sheriff," he assured the lawman. "We don't want any trouble either."

"Fine."

Heyes returned to the men waiting for him on the street. He took Karma's reins back and mounted up.

"Everything go alright?" Jed asked him.

"Yeah, no problem," Heyes told him. "But he did advise that we stay out of the south end of town."

Kid snorted as they turned their horses out onto the street. "Yeah, like I don't already know that."

"Why?" Joe asked. "What's at the south end of town?"

Neither partner conceded to answer. Joe sighed.

They got their horses stabled at the livery and made their way over to the closest hotel in order to get a room for the night. All three men were aware that they smelled like a campfire and could probably do with a bath, but first things first.

Heyes stepped up to the counter and smiled his winning smile at the clerk.

"Howdy," he greeted the man behind the register. "we have a room with two beds and a cot reserved for tonight. And a bath."

The clerk cocked an eyebrow at the three trail-dirty men. Two of them looked familiar. Scepticism dripped as he checked his register.

"The name?" he asked dubiously.

"Morin," Heyes informed him. "Deputy Joe Morin."

The clerks brows went up in surprise. "Oh! Yes, of course Mr. Morin. If you could just sign here..."

He got another surprise as he rotated the registry book around and handed Heyes the pen.

Heyes had quickly stepped back out of the way and Jed pushed a rather started Joe front and center. The clerk and the deputy locked started eyes.

"What?" Joe finally stammered. "You mean...?"

"Just sign the book Joe," Heyes told him. "all's good."

"Oh, yeah..." Joe took the offered pen and scribbled his name on the allotted space. "Okay."

The clerk got over his surprise quickly and smiled. "That's fine gentlemen. Would you like the bath sent up right away?"

"Thank you," Heyes agreed. "C'mon Joe. Shut your mouth and lets go get cleaned up."

"But how did you...?"

"Don't worry about it Joe," Kid clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "just play along. It'll make things a whole lot easier."

Half an hour later Heyes had won the coin toss for first dibs on the bath. While he soaked and scrubbed the last few days of trail dust off his body, Jed busied himself with shaking and beating the same dust out of his partner's clothes. By the time Heyes was out and dried off, at least one set of clothing was looking partially respectable and he quickly donned them in anticipation of his next errand.

"Okay gentlemen," Heyes commented as he prepared to leave. "Don't fight over the tub. Joe has a pretty good coin there Kid, perhaps you should use one of your own this time. Shall we meet over at our favourite cafe in a couple of hours?"

"Sounds good Heyes," Jed agreed as he dug into his pants pocket for a coin. "Good luck."

Heyes' smile turned to a doubtful frown. "Yeah."

Heyes stood across the street from the large and imposing bank. Again with the butterflies in his stomach. Really, was life as an honest man that much different from life as an outlaw? Used to be a bank like this would get Hannibal Heyes excited and charging headlong into the challenge. Now it just made him nervous.

Another deep sigh. How many more times was he going to have to do that just to get himself over the next obstacle? He stepped down off the plank way and headed across the street to the bank. He opened the door, then stepped back and tipped his hat as two women came out. They ignored him and carried on their way and Heyes frowned slightly at what he took to be a minor insult. He wasn't used to having ladies ignore him no matter what their ages. He must be getting old.

He stopped just inside the doorway and surveyed his environment. This was not at all like the little bank back in Brookswood. This was a very impressive establishment with polished wooden floors and a high ceiling. Paintings and photographs lined the walls while employees in fine suits did their jobs in hushed tones practically dripping with opulence.

Heyes smiled. Memory was coming back to him. He and the gang had hit this place way back in the day and he remembered the layout of it now. It had been a challenge but it had been well worth it as it had given the gang one of their better paydays. He glanced over to the back door behind the counters, knowing that the vault probably still occupied that room. His smile broadened. He would give anything to be able to re-live that adventure._ 'Well,' _ he thought ruefully, _'almost anything.'_

Another deep sign and he looked over to the receptionist who was seated patiently behind his desk half way between the entrance and the tellers. The man had one of those jobs where he must always look pleasant and always look busy even if neither were the case.

Heyes approached him. "Excuse me."

The man looked up from his pretend paperwork and smiled. _'Thank goodness—finally something to_ _do!' _"Yes, may I help you."

"Yes," Heyes assured him. "I need to see the manager concerning a transfer of funds."

"Coming or going?"

"Coming."

"You don't need to see the manager for that," the receptionist insisted. "one of our tellers will be happy to assist you."

"No," Heyes insisted. "this is of an unusual nature. I think it best I see the manager."

"Oh," an eyebrow went up and a snooty expression threatened to take over the face. "Fine. If you would just take a seat over there, I will let him know you are here. What name shall I give him?"

"Hannibal Heyes."

Instantly the blood drained from the gentleman's face. "Oh, ahh...Mr. Heyes...ah..." the stammering was somewhat irritating but not unexpected. "a transfer of funds...unusual nature. Mr. Heyes are you sure...? You'll go back to prison for this...you really shouldn't..."

Suddenly Heyes was feeling quite alarmed himself. "Oh, no no no." he assured the flustered man. "No, no, this isn't a robbery. It's quite legit. Sheriff Turner knows I'm here and your manager is expecting me..." he laid a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder and took a quick glance around at the various patrons looking their way. "Just let the manager know I'm here, alright?"

"Oh yes. Umm, yes, yes of course," the receptionist tried valiantly to get his act together. "If..if you would just have a seat. Yes. I'll let him know you're here. Yes. I'll be right back. Just have a seat..."

Heyes smiled and nodded trying to subliminally send the man on his way. Finally he did get the message and was able to convince his legs to take him to the manager's office. Heyes went over to the chairs and sat down, sending his dimpled smile over to the various people still looking his way. Most of them would not meet his eye and quickly returned to their own business once they felt his gaze upon them. One young lady however, sent him a cheeky smile and Heyes grinned back. Maybe he wasn't getting so old after all.

"Mr. Heyes?"

Heyes snapped back to the present. "Yes."

"Mr. Beauregard will see you now," the receptionist informed him nervously. "If you would be so kind as to follow me-sir."

Heyes smiled and stood up to follow the jittery banker. _'Beauregard—wonder if he's any relation...'_

"Mr.Beauregard, sir!" Heyes greeted him as they shook hands. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, of course Mr. Heyes." came the stoic response. "Please, have a seat. Thank you Howard."

"Yessir."

Both men waited quietly while Howard left the office and closed the door. Heyes took that moment to scrutinize the banker and found to his disappointment that he resembled just about every other banker Heyes had ever come in contact with. Fat, bald and wallowing in too much power to give a damn about the little people.

Mr. Beauregard glanced over at the ex-outlaw and concluded that Hannibal Heyes was far too full of himself. Apparently prison had not succeeded in knocking the stuffing out of him after all.

Both men smiled across the desk and one another.

"No worries, Mr. Heyes," Beauregard assured him. "we received the money from Mr. Jordan the day before yesterday. It's been here in our care, waiting for you."

Heyes simply nodded. Was that statement suppose to put him at his ease? Of course, just because Heyes had been successful at robbing it doesn't mean than any two-bit outlaw in the state could do it, so perhaps he should take it as a compliment.

"Were you wanting the full amount right now?" Beauregard continued.

"Oh, good heavens. No." Heyes exclaimed. "That's far too large an amount to be carrying around on my person. Especially where we're going. Far too many thieves and crooks out there for it to be safe to be doing that."

"Yes," Beauregard agreed dryly. "far too many by half." He smiled again to lighten the mood. "How would you like it then? Half now and half later?"

"No, no." Heyes corrected him. "I would like the money spaced out. I will take $200.00 in cash today and the rest sent forward to Sheridan. I understand that you have holdings in the major bank in that city as well."

Beauregard puffed himself up. "I certainly do," he confirmed. "and a few others in Montana as well."

"Yes," Heyes grinned. "I was counting on that."

"Good, good," the banker beamed, then frowned, suddenly thinking that there might have been an insult in there somewhere. After a moments inner thinking, he couldn't come up with anything so smiled again and the two men shook hands. "Just go the teller at the first booth outside my office and I will make sure he has your cash for you. The rest as you request, will be sent on ahead."

"Thank you Mr. Beauregard," Heyes said as he made his way towards the office door. "it's been a pleasure doing business with you again."

"Again?"

Heyes grinned impishly back at him. "Yes. Good day sir."

"Oh yes. Ah...good day..."

"Where are we going?" Joe asked suspiciously. "I thought the cafe was back that way."

"Yeah it is." Kid assured him. "but we have one more errand to run before we meet Heyes for dinner."

The two men stepped across the train tracks and up onto the platform. Kid seemed to know exactly where they were going and lead the way unerringly across the empty planks and into the depot station office and waiting area. He went up to the cashier's window and waited patiently for the man behind the window to look up from his scheduling.

Patience be damned. Kid coughed. The clerk looked up.

"Oh! I'm sorry gentlemen. I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, obviously." Kid mumbled.

"I'm afraid you've missed the train for today," the clerk informed them. "but there will be another one along in the morning."

"Yeah, I know," Jed concurred. "we have reservations."

The clerks eyebrows went up. "You do?"

"We do?" asked Joe.

"Yeah," Jed assured both. "Reservations for three men and three horses. Northbound. 8:00 a.m."

"The name?" asked the clerk.

"Joe Morin," Kid answered. Joe groaned.

The clerk scanned down his reservation sheet for the following day and stopped a third of the way down. "Oh yes," he commented rather incredulously. "here they are. All paid for in advance."

"Really," Joe commented dryly. "Isn't that interesting."

"Well here you are gentlemen...three tickets." the clerk handed them over to the deputy. "Have a good trip. If you have horses to load I suggest you be here an hour ahead of time. Good day."

Jed and Joe headed back across the tracks towards their side of town. Jed was hungry and looking forward to a real sit down supper after a number of nights in a row of eating rabbit. Joe was fuming.

"What the hell's the matter with your partner, anyways?" the deputy snarked. "We were getting along fine before this job came up, now he's treating me like I'm a idiot."

"What do ya' mean Joe?"

"Come on!" Joe was mad. "I was sayin' all along we should be taking the train and Heyes slapped me down for it. Obviously both of ya' knew this is what we would be doing or ya' wouldn't have had any of these reservations all lined up. Why can't you just let me in on what's happening? Do you really think I'm so totally useless that I can't be trusted to know the plans?"

"Oh no, that's not it at all deputy," Jed assured him. "Heyes is just needling ya'. He wouldn't do it if he didn't like ya'."

Joe snorted. He was far from convinced. "You're not helping," he continued to gripe. "You know he's playing games with me and you're just going right along with it."

"Yeah I know, sorry about that," Kid agreed. "but to be quite honest it's kinda fun watching him do it to somebody else for a change. Kinda gives me a break, ya' know what I mean?"

"Ya' mean he does this stuff to you?" Joe was incredulous.

Jed smiled. "All the time."

Joe sighed and shook his head. "How do you put up with him?"

Jed's grin broadened as he carried on down the street towards supper.

Jed led the way down the street and into the next block looking like he knew exactly where he was going, Joe followed along still feeling a little punchy over being played for a fool not once but twice. It was getting old real fast. Suddenly Jed disappeared to the right and Joe had to think fast to make the turn rather than simply walk on by the establishment. Then he nearly bumped into Jed's back since the older man had stopped in his tracks to survey the tidy eatery laid out before them. He quickly found the table he wanted and led the way over to it. The two men sat down, Jed making sure he was facing the door and having an unobstructed view out both the large front and side windows.

A young, rather heavy set woman came over to the table to serve them. "What can I get you gentlemen?"

"Just coffee for now," Jed told her. "we're waitin' on a friend."

"Oh. Okay."

She turned to leave.

"Ah, miss...?" Jed stopped her.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Betsy?"

"Betsy?" the waitress repeated. Then the light dawned. "Oh you mean Mrs. Turner."

Jed's eyebrows went up. "Mrs. Turner?"

"Yeah, she up and married the sheriff a while back," the young woman told them. She smiled and leaned in conspiratorially. "It started quite a scandal considering he's so much older than her. Everyone figured she musta' been in the family way," she stood up and shrugged. "but she weren't, not unless she lost it that is..."

Jed held up his hands in surrender. That was too much information as far as he was concerned.

"Alright, alright!" he said. "But does she still own the place?"

"Yeah, she still owns it, but she don't do waitressin' no more," came back the reply. "that's why she hired me."

"Yeah, I can see you're a real attribute."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Jed waved it off. "just bring us coffee's, Miss...ah...?"

"Candy," she announced with some pride.

"Candy?" Jed asked again.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Miss Cassandra Westinghouse. Candy fer short 'cause I'm so sweet."

"Oh yeah. Well of course," Jed agreed and smiled 'sweetly' at her. It was all Joe could do to keep a straight face.

"I'll go get your coffee's." she announced. "Shall I bring three, one for your friend?"

"Ah, you best wait until he gets here," Jed suggested. "or it could be cold by that time."

"Oh yeah," Candy agreed. "I never thought 'a that."

Candy disappeared into the back and Jed and Joe looked at each other and both of them broke up laughing.

"I sure hope the place hasn't gone downhill," Jed commented. "used to be real good food from what I remember."

"It better still be good food, or I'll know the reason why!" came the comment from Jed's shoulder.

"Betsy!" Jed stood up and gave her a hug. "It's good to see ya'. This here is my friend, Joe Morin."

Joe quickly stood up and extended his hand. "Howdy ma'am."

"Oh now, don't go 'ma'aming' me," she gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Just because I'm married now doesn't mean I'm old. Everyone calls me Betsy, so you go right ahead too."

Joe nodded his thanks, smiling a little awkwardly.

"Candy!" Betsy called out. "Where in tarnation is that girl? All she has to do is pour the coffee."

"Yes ma'am, I'm coming," Candy announced from the kitchen just as she put in an appearance with three cups of coffee on a tray. She set the cups down and quickly retreated.

"I hope you don't mind," Betsy said. "but it's been so long since I've seen either of you I thought I'd join you for my break."

"We don't mind at all, ma'am," Joe assured her as they all sat down again.

"So, you got married," Jed reiterated. "and to the sheriff of all people."

Betsy smiled. "Yes. I know it caused quite a stir as we had kept our romance very quiet. But he is such a kind man and I've never been happier."

"Well now that's good Betsy," Jed told her. "That's good to hear. He don't mind you still working for a living?"

"He better not," Betsy laughed. "He knows how much I've put into this place, and besides that, he's thinking he might retire soon so this cafe will bring us in a right tidy little income."

"Sounds like you got everything all worked out," Jed observed.

"I sure do hope so," she commented, then sent a sly look over to Joe. The deputy squirmed. "You sure do keep some fine company here, Mr. Curry. What's a fine looking young man like you doing hanging around with an old reprobate like him?"

"Hey!" Jed piped up, feeling insulted. "I ain't that old. Heyes is older."

Betsy looked back at Jed. Joe relaxed, relieved that the inquisition had been diverted from him.

"How is Mr. Heyes doing?" Betsy asked, suddenly all concerned. "He didn't look too good last time I saw him."

"Naw, he's good Betsy," Jed assured her. "He's married now, has a daughter."

"Really?" Betsy was impressed. "My but he moves fast, don't he?"

"You're married now too Curry," Joe felt inclined to announce.

"Really?" Betsy commented again. "My, my. Everybody seems to be settling down. You got any children."

Jed grinned with pride. "We're expectin' our first later this year."

"Well that's just wonderful!" she gave Jed a pat on the arm. "I'm very pleased for you. For both of you. I'm glad things have worked out alright. It was touch and go there for a while."

"Hey, hey Betsy!" came Heyes' voice from the entrance way. He was over to the table in a flash and Betsy stood up and gave him a hug.

Jed felt an instant of irritation. He should have seen Heyes coming. Dammit, maybe he was getting old!

"There you are!" she stated the obvious. "My but you do look fine. Jed here tells me you're a family man now."

"That's right," Heyes grinned. "Jed too."

"I know!" she laughed. "Me too."

Heyes' brows went up as he and Betsy sat down at the table.

"She married Sheriff Turner," Kid informed him.

Heyes expression fell blank. "You married the sheriff?"

"Oh now don't say it like that!" she gave him a playful slap on the chest. "He's a good man and a good husband. We're both very happy."

Heyes smiled, "Well that's good Betsy," he said. "I'm happy for you."

"Good!" she said. "Now, you boys ready to order?"

"You bet!"

"Oh yeah!"

"I'm starving."

"Great!" she said as she stood up again. "The special tonight is rabbit stew!"

Next morning the three men were walking around in circles in an effort to keep themselves warm and the horses occupied.

"Why in the world did he say to be here an hour early if the train wasn't even going to be here yet!?" Heyes snarked.

"Yeah, I know Heyes." Jed wasn't too happy about it either. "Hopefully it will be along directly."

Then as though on cue they heard the whistle from not too far away and soon enough the train itself was putting in an appearance. As is the nature of trains, this one chugged and clanged its way up to the platform of the depot, sending out steam and dust and noise just to make sure everybody knew the transportation had arrived.

Karma stood quietly while the train pulled past them, and Gov gave it some attention as he was still not too comfortable with letting something that big get that close to him. But on the most part those two behaved themselves rather well. Black Betty on the other hand did not like the look, the sound or the smell of this things and she reared up and started to dance as the locomotive chugged past her.

Joe had his hands full getting her calmed down. Finally he did, but she stood there with her feet planted and a wild look to her eye. She did not like this one little bit. Joe scratched her neck and spoke reassurances to her but she insisted on being spooky.

Finally the train came to a halt with the two freight cars coming up level with the loading dock. The conductor put in an appearance shortly after things had calmed down and gave a nod to the men with their horses, waiting to get on board.

"Howdy gents," he greeted them. "I was told we had some horses this trip. Just hold on to 'em a minute."

The conductor slid open the door to the first freight car and pulled out the ramp. "There ya' go." he announced. "this car is set up for horses. Just get 'em in there and get 'em settled in the stalls. We're movin' out in half an hour. I suggest you be on board by then."

The three men watched the trainman walk away to tend to his other passengers.

"Geesh," Heyes commented. "they were more friendly when we were robbin' them."

"Yeah," Jed agreed.

"Well, c'mon let's go," Heyes mumbled as he led Karma over to the ramp.

The big mare took one look at the wooden planks leading up into the dark cave on wheels and trotted up the ramp behind her human without a moments hesitation. The two men and two horses still outside could hear the hollow thump thump thump of Karma's hooves on the wooden floor of the freight car followed by silence. Heyes showed up at the door again and frowned at the group still mingling around on the ground.

"C'mon!" he repeated. "Let's go. It's going to take long enough to get up to Montana without you two doing it on horseback."

"Yeah, yeah Heyes," Kid responded. "we're comin'. You know Gov's not used to travelling like this."

Joe simply grumbled as he walked his nervous mare around in circles.

Kid led his gelding up to the ramp and gave him a moment to check things out. Gov stopped as soon as his front foot hit the wooden plank. He blew nervously and put his head down to sniff it. Smelled like wood. Still, he wasn't too sure about this; it looked awfully dark inside that cave. He arched his neck and began to paw at the wood.

From inside the boxcar, Karma sent out a loud whinny as she wondered what was keeping her buddies. Gov's head shot up and he responded with a soft, throaty nicker. Obviously whatever was in this dark cave hadn't eaten Karma and with a deep breath and a heaving of his hind legs, Gov lounged up the wooden ramp, his hooves scrambling on the wood to get a foothold.

His toes caught on the cross planks and with his hind quarters trembling he made another lounge that brought him up into the boxcar. He stopped there for a moment and looked around through the gloom, hoping to find his stable mate. Karma nickered softly and the young gelding noticeably relaxed. He blew his stress out of his nostrils and gave his head a shaking while his eye sight grew accustomed to the lighting.

Jed put his hat back on his head and got himself organized again after having been hauled unceremoniously up the ramp by his horse. Heyes stood back in the gloom, grinning.

"Don't you say a word Heyes," Kid cautioned him. "He's still young, you know that."

"Sure, sure," Heyes agreed, but Jed could still see the smile on his face. "C'mon, get him into a stall. We're running out of time."

"Hm hmm."

Jed led his horse down to the end of the car and got him settled in next to his friend. Now that the horse was in and saw that there was nothing unhealthy here, all was well. Then, even better he discovered some hay waiting for him. It wasn't the best quality hay, but in a pinch it would do.

Heyes stood at the opening of the boxcar and stared down at the deputy doing his best to calm his anxious horse. Betty was trotting in circles around her human and looked like she was about to sprout wings and fly away. She was in a dilemma; she was suddenly finding herself being left behind by her buddies but she was scared to death to step onto that plank and into that dark cave. There were terrible things in dark caves; things that ate horses.

Joe patted his mare and tried to sooth her. "C'mon Betty, you're holding everything up here. Your friends are both inside and nothin' happened to them. C'mon."

But Betty was having none of it. Joe would get her up to the planks but as soon as her hooves touched the wood she would rear up and pull back again. Joe was at his wits end and Heyes was getting exasperated.

To make matters worse, the engineer chose that moment to sound the whistle, probably as a warning to let late passengers know it was time to get on board. Unfortunately the effect the loud noise had on the young mare was just the opposite. All four legs went into a trembling crouch and she pivoted away from the noise and very nearly ran Joe over in the process.

Heyes sighed and shook his head. He walked down the ramp to the ground just as Jed showed up at the door to the car to see what the hold up was all about.

"Here Joe, let me take her," Heyes suggested. "She's kinda flighty ain't she?"

"No, not normally," Joe insisted. "I just don't think she's ever been on a train before." then added with a bit of heat. "You said we would be riding to Montana! If I'd known you were plannin' a train ride all along I would have brought another horse!"

"Oh now Joe, calm down," Heyes told him as he took the mare's lead rope. "No reason to get all upset. You're scaring your horse. Besides," he continued in a soft soothing voice. "it'd be silly to ride all the way to Montana on horseback. It's take us all summer."

Already stressed out Joe looked like he was about to explode.

"Calm down," Heyes repeated quietly, but who exactly he was talking to was unclear. He stroked the mare's neck and rubbed her ears and scratched her along the crest under her mane until she gradually started to relax just a little bit. "There, that's better. C'mon, let's walk around. C'mon, cluck cluck cluck..."

Betty's head went up again and her eyes rolled with anxiety but Heyes stroked her forehead until she relaxed and then stepped forward.

"That's a good girl," Heyes encouraged her. "C'mon."

Betty walked around with him until he approached the ramp again and instantly her whole body tensed all over. Her eyes rolled white and her head went up as she started to pull back. Heyes didn't try to stop her but went back with her until she stopped. He stepped towards her and rubbed her forehead again, cooing softly to her.

Joe stood on the sidelines, his arms folded. He was feeling exasperated. How come Heyes could get his mare to respond like that when Joe himself couldn't? It was almost embarrassing. Jed stood leaning against the door of the freight car, smiling quietly. He already knew how this was going to end.

Heyes took a couple of more minutes to ease the mare's fears, rubbing her ears and whispering endearments. He waited until she dropped her head and began playing with the lead shank, then he asked her to move forward again and they approached the ramp. This time Betty hesitated a moment, dropped her nose to sniff the wood and then put one hesitating foot up onto it. She tensed again for an instant but Heyes' soft words and steady hand on the rope reassured her. With a final flaring of the nostrils she took another step and quickly walked up the ramp and into the car. It should be noted that she did this with a lot more grace and dignity than Gov had managed in accomplishing this same task.

Jed's smile turned into a full grin as Heyes walked the mare back to her own stall. Joe came up the ramp looking pissed off and disheartened.

"Don't take it personal Joe," Kid advised him. "Heyes just has a way with horses—always has."

"Well, like I said," Joe grumbled. "if I'd a known we were taking the train I would 'a brought a more experienced horse with me."

"Naw," Jed gave him a slap on the shoulder. "This'll be good for her. By the time we get back to Brookswood, she'll be a different horse. I could tell you stories about Karma..."

"Okay folks," came the conductor's voice from ground level. "we're about to pull out, if you want to get yourselves settled."

"Just in time," Heyes announced as he approached the others. "Let's go get our seats, shall we?"

Everybody was bored, bored, bored, BORED! Train travel might be a lot faster than horseback but it sure didn't offer the same kind of stimulation.

Heyes had picked up a copy of 'Last of the Mohicans' in the hopes that it would help pass the time but listening to Jed and Joe bantering back and forth over nothing was more distracting than a good book was capable of over-coming. He finally slammed the book shut and sent both of them an irritated scowl.

Two sets of innocent eyes looked his way.

"What?" Kid asked him.

"Can't you two go talk somewhere else?" Heyes snarked.

Jed shrugged. "There is nowhere else," he told his partner. "Instead of hiding inside a book why don't you join in on the conversation? Joe's been telling me about some of the trips he used to take with his uncle."

Heyes' lips tightened slightly. Without saying a word he turned to look out the window, pretending to watch the scenery go by.

Jed sighed. "We're going to be going by Porterville tomorrow," he commented in the hopes of getting his cousin to engage. "ya' wanna stop by and visit Lom and Martha?"

"No,' was Heyes' snap reply.

"Well why not?" Kid was getting exasperated. "Ever since Lom got married you've been avoiding him. You got along fine with him at our weddings and such, so what's the matter?"

"Nothin'."

"Are ya' mad at him for somethin' Heyes? You thinkin' he didn't stay in touch enough, or not do enough while you were in prison?"

"No!" Heyes was getting uncomfortable with this. "Lom did a lot, I know that. Just drop it will ya'?"

"I just thought it would be nice to have a visit," Jed grumbled. "We're comin' up on their wedding anniversary."

"Maybe on the way back," Heyes conceded. "We don't have time now."

"Yeah, but we may not even be going through Porterville on our way back," Kid pointed out. "Who knows where this trail is going to lead us."

No comment from the sulky one. Joe sat quietly, not wanting to get involved with this disagreement between the two older men. Usually their arguments were laced with humour and obviously just a game they played with each other, but this time it was different. They weren't playing games and Jed wasn't backing off. Heyes' irritation was growing.

"Is it because he got married Heyes?" Kid pushed. "Don't ya' like Martha?"

"Oh for goodness sakes!" Heyes snapped abruptly, causing the two other men to jump slightly. "I'm going to go find a place where I can read—quietly!"

True to his word, he got to his feet and stomped down the isle and exited their particular car and carried on into the next one.

Jed and Joe sat silently, watching him go. They both looked slightly confused.

"What was that all about?" Joe finally enquired.

Jed sighed. "I donno." he admitted. "He doesn't usually act like that unless I get close to something he doesn't want to talk about. But what could he possibly have against Martha?"

Joe shrugged. "Will he be alright?"

"Oh sure," Jed stated. "he just needs something to do again. Maybe he'll come across a poker game or something in one of the other cars. That'll help him relax."

"So, is this Devil's Hole country?" Joe asked, changing the subject.

Jed stood up and took over Heyes' vacated seat so he and Joe could face each other. He took a precursory glance out the window.

"No, not yet," he said. "It's too flat here, nowhere to put a hideout. We'll be closer to it tomorrow."

"Oh."

"So...what else did you and your uncle get up to when you were a kid?"

Heyes pushed his way through the door into the next car and took a moment to look around. Many of the seats were occupied, but there were no children running around and there was one lone seat back there that appeared to be unclaimed. He walked down the isle, swaying slightly with the rocking of the train and settled himself in his little cubbyhole to read his book.

Unfortunately he was now too distracted and stressed out to focus onto the book again. He tried reading the same page over and over before he finally snapped the covers shut and sat to fume. Why did Kid have to go and bring up Lom and Martha? And, more to the point, why did Heyes get so defensive when he did?

Martha was alright. He'd gotten along fine with her at the various nuptials and Lom was obviously happy. So what was the problem? Heyes sighed and watched the scenery slide by the window. Wyoming. What was it about this landscape that drew him so strongly? Especially the mountains surrounding Devil's Hole. Many people found it bleak and desolate but Heyes had loved it. That area where he and Kid had lived for so many years. It was home.

They had already travelled through the bleakest part of the state, that lonely, wind swept prairie that surrounded Laramie. No wonder they put the prison there. For one thing it made escape practically impossible as there was just nowhere to hide. Harris had been extremely lucky to have gotten away and he was the only one out of that whole group who had attempted the escape. It had just been luck. Good luck for him, but bad luck for many of the people who came into contact with him before Wheat and Kyle had tracked him down.

Heyes' lip curled in hate and disgust. What a bastard. He deserved the end he got. It was actually kind of poetic, considering that he had tried to end Heyes in that very same way. Guess Harris just wasn't quite fast enough—on either count.

Heyes sighed again. Why not stop in and visit Lom? What was the problem? It was as though his mind did not want to dwell there and he was easily distracted. Now he pushed his thoughts in that direction and instantly felt uncomfortable. Quiet sigh followed by a mild groan of irritation at himself now.

Was he mad at Lom for not saving him from prison? He didn't think so. The only ones he was really mad at were the numerous governors who preferred to ignore his situation rather than risk their own careers. And then Mitchell and Carson of course. But they'd both got their just desserts in the end. Carson was dead the Mitchell was serving time down in Arizona. Heyes smiled. The only thing sweeter would have been for Mitchell to end up back at his own prison but the powers that be decided that would be too volatile a situation to dump him into.

Heyes pushed thoughts of those to bastards out of his mind. It always got him worked up when he thought about them and so why bother? They were no longer of any consequence.

_'See?'_ He reprimanded himself. Once again he had allowed himself to be distracted away from the issue at hand. He knew he wasn't mad at Lom. He felt gratitude towards him and Kid for sticking to it until finally succeeding in attaining his release. If it hadn't been for their efforts he'd be dead today and he knew it. How could he be mad at Lom?

Martha then. Well what? He hardly knew her and when he was in her presence she was always kind and a little motherly, like Belle to some degree. And there she was teaching Kyle how to read! That was not an endeavour for the weak hearted. She was a good woman. Well, she'd have to be for Lom to have married her. He was no fool and wouldn't have given her the time of day if there was anything duplicitous in her nature. And the fact that she was actually able to live with him further gave proof to her pending sainthood!

Another irritated growl. Perhaps they should stop by for a visit. They would be travelling right through Porterville so why not take a couple of days? It'd be good for the horses and for himself too, to get off this damn train for a while. They weren't that pressed for time and Kid was right, once they got going on this adventure there's no telling where it could lead them.

Yeah, Heyes suddenly decided. Next town he'd get off and send a telegram to let Lom know they were going to stop by. The sheriff already knew they were coming this way and might even be expecting them anyways. It would be good to see him again, him and Martha...

Getting the horses off the freight car in Porterville did not prove to be a problem. All three of them, including Karma who should have known better, took one look at the great outdoors and basically leapt wildly from the boxcar to the ground without bothering much with the ramp in between. The fact that all three men actually kept their feet during this procedure gives credit to their natural balance and dexterity.

"I think we better take them for some exercise before we drop them at the livery," the Kid suggested as Gov danced around in a circle. "I know the place down by Lom's office has the grass paddocks, but they're gonna need more than that."

"Good idea," Heyes agreed. "If we don't burn some of this steam off, Karma'll jump the paddock fence and burn it off herself." he grimaced. "and we all know what kind of trouble that can bring."

"Oh yeah."

"Don't you think you should let the sheriff know you're in town Heyes?" Joe casually reminded him.

Heyes shrugged as he tightened Karma's girth. "Lom's a friend and he knows we're here," he reasoned. "I don't think it's necessary."

"I think it is," Joe persisted. "Like you say, he knows you're due in on this train and he'll be expecting you. Best just drop by the office on our way our of town and let him know what you're doing."

Heyes remained silent, giving Karma's girth an extra hard pull in his irritation. Karma laid her ears back, tossing her head and then swinging it around to threaten a bite if he didn't smarten up. Heyes took a swat at her, not being in the mood now to accept her antics. Kid just kept his mouth shut knowing that Heyes was still struggling with the invisible shackles. He also knew his partner would come to the right decision without any further needling from him.

"Fine," Heyes groused as he swung aboard. "Let's go see Lom."

He booted Karma unnecessarily as she was already fighting at the bit to go, and they took off at a hand gallop towards the sheriff's office. Jed and Joe exchanged looks and the Kid just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Gov reared in irritation at being left behind and they let the horses go to follow in Karma's dust.

By the time the other two caught up with Heyes, Karma was tied up at the hitching rail looking very pissed off and Heyes was making his way into the office. Joe and the Kid stepped down and without a word to each other, tied their own horses at the next hitching rail far out of reach of Karma's teeth and hind feet. Hopefully both she and Heyes would be in better moods after a good gallop.

Once inside the office, Joe was surprised to find Heyes all smiles and casual in his manner towards the sheriff. Kid however was not surprised. Far from it being a change in moods, it was a cover up and the foul temper would be showing itself again once they were done with this errand. Lom wasn't particularly fooled either.

"Hey there Kid," Lom greeted him. "How was the train ride?"

"Good," Jed answered as they shook hands. "Nice to get off for a break though."

Lom turned to Joe and shook his hand. "Deputy Morin," he said. "good to see you again."

"Howdy Sheriff," Joe acknowledged him.

"How are these two treating you?" Lom asked him.

"Pretty much as expected," Joe casually commented.

Lom raised an eyebrow, "yeah, I bet." he turned back to the ex-con. "Alright Heyes, you know the drill. Sign in here then you're free to get your horses out for a run. I'm sure they need it."

Heyes stepped forward to write down his name in the ledger along with the time and date, then straightened up.

"Good," Lom commented. "I'm glad you came in here before riding out of town," he added. "It tells me that you're not gettin' complacent with the restrictions. That's a good thing Heyes, lets me know you're serious."

"Of course Lom," Heyes sent him an innocent grin. "Wouldn't want to leave you in the lurch."

"I'm also glad you decided to take a break from your travels and stay over for a visit," Lom added. "Martha is looking forward to seeing you both again and we have some things that need talking about. When you're done exercising your horses come on up to our place for supper. You're all welcome to stay with us while you're in town. It'll be a bit cramped but we'll manage."

"Yeah, thanks Lom," Kid accepted for the group. "Lookin' forward to seein' Martha again too."

"Yeah," Heyes seconded. "Sounds good. We'll see ya' this evening."

"Fine."

Once outside again, Heyes didn't even look at his two companions. He snapped Karma's rein loose from the hitching rail, mounted up and turned her head towards the outskirts. Gov and Betty both started to dance and fight their restraints as they found themselves once again being left behind in Karma's dust.

By this time even Kid was starting to feel some irritation at his cousin's snarky behaviour. Just because he was pissed off, did he have to turn it onto everyone else?

"Is he always like this?" Joe asked as they mounted their own restless animals. "How do you stand it?"

Jed sighed. "No, he's not," Kid told him. "Just leave him alone, he'll come out of it."

"But what's the problem?" Joe persisted. "He's usually quite amiable."

"I'm not excusing his behaviour, ya' understand." Jed explained. "but ya' gotta try and see it from his point of view."

"And what's that?" Joe asked, his resentment at the ex-con's attitude increasing daily.

"A grown man having to put up with being babysat," Jed pointed out. "Nothin' against you Joe, but he didn't want ya' along. On top of that you're not backing off of him and then you turn out to be right! That was probably the biggest insult of all."

"I'm just trying to help him stay on the right side of things!" Joe snapped back, his tone matching his mood. "It's what Sheriff Jacobs told me to do. Am I suppose to just ignore that and let Heyes run rough shod over me?"

"No!" Jed was adamant. "Do your job. Like you say, that's why you're here. You'll never earn Heyes' respect if you back down. He's being hard on ya' I know, and deliberately. He's testing ya' Joe, seeing how far he can push. Just do what you're here to do and he'll back off."

Joe snorted. "Yeah, if I don't kill 'em first."

Jed grinned. "C'mon, let's give these horses a run. I think we can all benefit from blowing off some steam."

True to his word, Jed gave Gov his head and the two young horses snatched the opportunity and power-housed into a full gallop. Within seconds an impromptu race was in full swing as each youngster vied to be the first to catch up with the fleet-footed Karma Lou.

Jed was proved to be right when both Heyes and Karma were in better spirits after a ten mile round trip had been put under the horses' girths. Heading back towards town at a jog-trot to give them a chance to cool down, Heyes was suddenly quite talkative and even friendly in his manner.

"That's quite a nice mare you got there Joe," he commented. "Where'd ya' get her?"

"She was part of our string at the ranch," the deputy answered after a brief hesitation of surprise. "Most of the stock got sold with the ranch, but Pa offered me my pick of the young horses. I wasn't really looking for a mare, but I donno, something about this little filly caught my eye."

Heyes smiled as he gave the filly a quick looking over again. "You have a good eye," he was feeling particularly good after the gallop. "She's fast too, I could see that right away."

"Not as fast as Karma." Joe acquiesced.

Heyes' smile grew into pleased dimples. "Nobody's as fast as Karma." then couldn't resist a little niggling. "Your mare put the run on Gov, that's for sure."

"Hey!" Kid came to his horse's defence. "Gov was just being a gentleman; ladies first and all that. He's got plenty of speed when he needs it."

"Sure Kid," Heyes teased. "whatever you say."

"How old is she?" Joe asked, not wanting to lose the rapport now that it was finally happening. "You've had her for quite a while."

"Yeah," Heyes frowned. "I don't know how old she was when I got her. She was young though I could tell that just by her attitude." Distant snort from the Kid. "Probably between two and five was my guess. So I recon she's somewhere between ten and fifteen now."

Joe nodded. "I know Mr. Jordan got some nice foals from her. Do you think you might breed her again?"

Heyes sat quietly for a moment, contemplating that question.

"Funny you should mention that," he finally commented. "I've been wondering the same thing myself. Maybe do what Kid did and trade her to Jesse in exchange for one of his younger horses, or maybe for one of her foals, later."

"What do ya' mean Heyes?" Kid asked him, suddenly concerned. "Why would you wanna give up riding Karma? Geesh, I've never seen a man love his horse so much—and visa-versa. It could go down in the history books as the greatest love affair of all time..."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Heyes stopped him before the comments got too suggestive. "It's just that I know she's not happy living in town. She got used to the good life out at the Double J and now living in a stall or a paddock just doesn't measure up. I don't know though," he reached forward and gave his mare an affectionate stroke on the neck and pull of the mane. "it'd be real hard to give her up."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jed agreed, going back in time to when he had to make that decision himself. "But she's still in good shape, you got time. Personally I think she'd be miserable without you, well because she was before until she forgot about ya' and Beth filled the gap. I think if you were to ask her, I bet she'd say she'd rather live in town with ya' than out at the ranch without ya'. That's just my take on it."

Heyes grinned over at his partner. "Yeah, okay." Kid always did seem to know what he wanted to hear. He didn't always say it, but he always knew.

Dinner at the Trevors' household went off without a hitch. Roast chicken with potatoes and onions as well as the apple cobbler for dessert rounded out to be the best meal the travellers had had all week.

"That was a real fine supper Mrs. Trevors," Joe was the first out with the compliments. "A whole lot better than Heyes' rabbit stew for sure."

Heyes smiled as he patted his full tummy. "I'd take offence, but it's the truth," he admitted. "I think being married has spoiled us to the finer things in life, eh Kid?"

"You could say that Heyes," Kid agreed over a mouthful of his second helping of cobbler. "Now not only is your coffee unacceptable, but compared to the finer fare we're gettin' at home your rabbit stew also has a lot to be desired."

"Oh it's not that bad," Heyes took mock offence.

He was instantly silenced by the other three men at the table verbally disagreeing with him. Heyes grinned at the teasing; he was definitely in a better mood.

"Yeah okay," he conceded. "That was fine dinner Martha, thank you."

"Thank you," Martha accepted the compliments good-heartedly. "Now, why don't you just take your leave to the sitting room and let me get on with the clearing up. I know you men have things to discuss."

"We do?" Heyes asked, looking confused.

"Yes Heyes, we do," Lom answered pointedly. "Let's go have a seat and we'll talk about it."

Heyes sent Curry a look but Curry just shrugged. He didn't know either. Heyes couldn't help the knot of anxiety that started to gather in his already full tummy.

"Would you like some help, ma'am?" Joe offered as the men got to their feet.

"That's very nice of you to offer," Martha smiled at him. "but not tonight. If you're still of a mind tomorrow, that would be welcomed."

Joe smiled. "Yes ma'am. I will be."

The four men settled into the various seating apparatus' that were positioned strategically around the sitting room. Lom handed out glasses of brandy to all and then sat himself down as well. The three other men waited, almost patiently.

"Well Lom, what is it?" Kid finally asked. "Something up with Heyes' parole?"

"No, no not that," Lom put them all at ease.

Heyes felt the wave of relief wash over him and then felt irritation. Not at Lom, but at himself. Was he never going to get over that fear? That gnawing threat that lingered in the back of his mind that his 'freedom' was just a game. That sooner or later one of the governor's was going to decide to rescind it and he would be arrested and hauled back to prison?

Even though Steven and Kenny had reassured him that unless he gave reason for it, nobody could legally do that, he was still left with that nagging doubt. He sighed and took a healthy gulp from the brandy glass.

"Okay," Jed continued after a quick glance at is partner. "what is it then? What's up."

"Devil's Hole is an active outlaw stronghold again."

Heyes' gulp of brandy went down the wrong way and he spluttered.

"Really?" Jed asked somewhat incredulously. "Who's in there now?"

"What do ya' mean...?" Heyes croaked, then coughed, trying to get his voice back.

"Ya' want some water Heyes?" Lom asked him.

"No," he answered, a little stronger this time. He swallowed and tried again. "What do ya' mean it's a stronghold again? I thought Devil's Hole was burned to the ground."

"Well it was," Lom conceded. "We're not quite sure when a new gang got in there but somebody decided it was worth re-building and starting up the business again."

"Didn't the law take steps to prevent that?" Kid asked quite reasonably.

"Yeah, they did at first," Lom admitted a little sheepishly. "but I suppose they got complacent and then busy with other things and they let it go. The real down side of it is, now they know the Hole's one weak spot because of Morrison getting in there so you can bet they're not gonna make that mistake again. They're calling themselves the 'Devil's Hole' gang too, and have already made some raids on the trains going through."

"Who's running it?" Heyes asked out of professional curiosity if nothing else.

"We're not really sure yet who's in charge," Lom admitted. "though we did get a positive I.D. on their explosive man. A young fella by the name of 'Ames'. I think you might know him Heyes."

Heyes nodded. "Yeah, I do," he admitted. "He was an okay kid. A little twitchy though. Him and Kyle buddied up, but I suppose that's not surprising."

"I know," Lom continued. "and we're going to use that to our advantage."

"How so?" asked the Kid.

"Once Wheat and Kyle have finished up their current assignment, the governor has requested that they infiltrate the new gang and find out just how much trouble we might be in for. Kyle already knowing this Ames fella will help them to get access."

"Wheat will have to watch himself though," Heyes pointed out. "The leader up there might get to thinking that Wheat's there to challenge for leadership again. Could get messy."

"I'm sure they'll handle it," Lom countered. "Those two have proved themselves to be quite capable of looking after themselves Heyes. They don't need you to be doing it for them."

"Oh, I know...I just..." he stopped and looked around at the three gazes coming back at him. "Fine. I thought they were suppose to be working for me."

"You don't have enough to keep them busy, you know that," Lom pointed out. "Something like this comes up, you better believe the governor is going to use them. Wheat wasn't given that pardon for free."

"Don't I know it," Heyes grumbled, then realized that he was being snarky again. "Yes alright. It does seem to be a perfect fit for them. I just hope that checking it out is all they're gonna do and not start trying to set up an arrest or somethin stupid like that. Wheat tends to get kinda pushy when he's trying to prove himself."

"They'll be fine Heyes,' Lom reiterated. "I just wanted to let you know what was going on in case you run into them during your own wanderings. I wouldn't want ya' thinkin' they had blown their new careers and had joined up with a gang again."

"Yeah, I can understand that Lom," Heyes admitted. "Good thinking actually. Are they that close to finishing their current assignment?"

"Last I heard they were on their way back," Lom informed them. "They didn't have much luck in retrieving the stolen money, or the wayward wife. But at least the husband now knows for sure that she went with the outlaw willingly and wasn't coerced. Kind of a bitter pill for him to swallow, but it does make you wonder what that marriage must have been like."

"Yeah," Kid commented. "Doesn't put it into a good light if the lady would rather run off with an outlaw than stay home with her husband, does it?"

"Oh I donno..." Heyes countered with a cheeky grin. "depends on how charming the outlaw!"

Joe snorted and rolled his eyes.

Sometime during the early hours of the next morning, the Trevors household was abruptly roused from sleep by heavy pounding on the front door. Both Heyes and Curry made instant grabs for their strategically place hand guns only to stop before the action was completed and stare blearily at each other.

Joe groaned himself awake and all three men sat up in their bedrolls on the living room floor as Lom, in his nightshirt grumbled his way to answer the door. The thumping came again and the three guests began to pull on trousers and snatch guns in preparation of any event.

"Yeah, yeah!" Lom called out as more thumping abused the poor door. "I'm coming." He reached the door, glanced back at the three men now standing a ways back but behind him and ready, then put a hand on the door knob. "Who is it?"

"It's Harker, Sheriff!" came the booming voice from the other side of the door. "You might say we've had an incident over at the bank."

"Oh what now..." Lom mumbled as he opened the door.

"Yeah, well...morning Sheriff.." Harker greeted his boss as he stepped into the house. He noticed the other three men standing in the hallway. "Oh! Well good, you're all up."

"Harker!" Lom got the big man's attention. "What's happened?"

"Oh, well...they robbed the bank." Harker announced. "Yessir. About half and hour ago. Blew the safe. I'm surprised you didn't hear it. But I suppose you are a ways from the bank here, and kind of protected by the other buildings from the noise..."

"Harker!" Lom brought the man back to the point. "Who robbed the bank?"

"Oh! Well, I would assume it was the Devil's Hole Gang. Yup." Harker surmised. "They headed off in that direction anyways..."

"And you're just standing here jawin' about it?" Lom gripped as he started to gather his strategically placed clothing together. "Why ain't ya' getting a posse together?"

"Well I did," Harker defended himself. "We swung by here on our way after them. I knew these fellas were here visitin' so I brung all your horses along. Best hurry or we'll lose their trail."

Lom cursed as he and his guests got busy getting dressed right then and there. Instantly the front room was a flurry of activity as everyone pulled on boots and strapped on gun belts. Harker suddenly looked suspicious and was beginning to have second thoughts about including these particular gents in on the posse.

"Kind of a coincidence, don't you think that the very same night them fellas are in town, their old gang hits the bank?"

"And that's all it is too, deputy," Kid threw back at him. "a coincidence."

"Besides, it's not our old gang!" Heyes pointed out. "It's just a bunch of two-bit money-grubbing, chicken thieves tryin' to set themselves up on our good name."

"Humph," Harker wasn't convinced. "Well they know what they're doing to some degree, cause they blowed that safe clean and proper."

Heyes and Curry exchanged glances.

"This is gonna be fun," Kid stated as he grabbed his jacket.

"Yeah, we'll teach them for tryin' to dirty our reputations."

"Not you Heyes," Lom ordered as the other three men got set to follow him out the door.

Heyes stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth hanging open in comedic surprise.

"What do ya' mean, 'not me'?" he groused. "I got just as much..."

"No!" Lom repeated. "Curry and Morin are coming, but you stay here. And don't play all indignant with me! You know why."

The men left the house and with Lom leading the way. He clumped down the steps to where the four visiting horses were waiting, all tacked up and ready to go. Heyes followed them out, complaining the whole time.

"Lom, c'mon! You can't leave me here."

"Yes I can, and I'm gonna. And don't you dare follow us."

"But Lom! I know all the short cuts to get into Devil's Hole..."

"So does the Kid," Lom pointed out as he mounted his horse. "and so do I! Stop arguing about it Heyes. You're not coming."

Heyes stood on the porch looking completely crestfallen. Kid put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Heyes," he told his cousin. "I'm sure Joe and I can handle it. You just keep the home fires burning."

"But..."

"See ya' later Heyes," Joe said as he mounted his mare. "We'll tell ya' all about it when we get back."

"Yeah, but..."

Kid smiled, gave Heyes' shoulder a couple of consoling pats and then followed everyone else, to mount up on Gov. "See ya' later Heyes."

"Let's go!" Lom commanded as he swung his horse away from the porch.

The five other riders, including Harker, Curry and Morin swung around with him and the small posse galloped off just as the sun was coming up and bringing light to the quest.

Karma who was still tied to the hitching rail was not please. Her head shot up as she tried to pull away and join up with the other horses. Her ears went back and a wild look came to her eyes as she realized that everyone else was heading out on what looked like great fun and she was still tied to the rail! She danced and sidled trying to join in on the race, then frustrated she stood her ground and with head lowered, began to paw.

"I know Karma," Heyes consoled her. "Looks like we're being left out of this one. NO...!"

Harker could be forgiven for not tying the big mare very securely, after-all he had no idea that this particular horse made a habit of untying knots. Actually, he hadn't even tied a knot but simply wrapped the rein around the rail a couple of times in anticipation of a fast exit and figured that was good enough. Heyes turned to placate his mare just in time to see her grab the rein in her teeth and give it a good yank.

"No Karma! Whoa!"

Heyes made a wild grab for the reins but the mare instantly knew she was free. Pivoting away from the porch, she gave a playful squeal and with a buck she was off at a full gallop, determined to catch up with the others and win the race.

Heyes ran after her, "No! Stop! Dammit!" He stopped after just a few steps, knowing there was no point. "You BITCH!" he yelled in frustration, and threw his hat on the ground.

He stood there for a moment, hands on hips as he watched his horse quickly disappearing in a cloud of dust. "Goddammit!" he shook his head in defeat, picked up his hat and turned back to the house. Coming up the steps he suddenly came face to face with Martha. "Oh..." sheepish about sums it up. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am...umm..."

Martha smiled. "That's alright Hannibal," she assured him. "since becoming the sheriff's wife I've heard much worse, believe me."

"Oh, yes ma'am."

"I don't mean that Lom curses, at least not in front of me," she was quick to point out. "but some of the gentlemen who I take meals to over at the jailhouse, well sometimes they can be quite colourful."

Heyes smiled through his irritation, remember some of his own 'colourful' expletives while incarcerated in certain jailhouses.

"Well, looks like we're up for the day," Martha stated as she glanced at the rising sun. "come along inside and we'll get some coffee going. Hopefully they won't be too long."

Martha turned and went indoors while Heyes sent one more exasperated look after his long-gone mare. He sighed and shook his head again, then followed Mrs. Trevors into the house.

The posse galloped full speed ahead for the first few miles, knowing that they had to make up lost time. If that gang had a chance to disappear into the hills, they'd never catch them.

Fortunately the new gang was either cocky or stupid as they made no attempt to cover their tracks and once the lawmen were sure of the direction, Kid had no trouble leading the way. They galloped along the dirt road leading into the hills until Jed pulled up and without hesitating, turned to lead the group off the main track and up a winding trail into the back country.

They were just about to leave the road when the sound of galloping hooves coming up behind them got everyone's attention and a few even pulled out their hand guns.

"Dammit!" Lom cursed. "if Heyes has followed us, I'm gonna wring his neck."

Karma came barrelling around the corner, the reins flapping wildly out to the side as she ploughed into the small herd and got everybody into an uproar. She danced around everyone, blowing and tossing her red mane while deftly avoiding one or two kicks that got aimed her way.

"What in tarnation...?" Lom was not pleased.

Kid laughed. "Looks like Karma wanted to come along just as much as Heyes did."

"Well this is just dandy," Harker complained. "Now I suppose somebody's gonna havta' catch her up and take her back."

Groans were heard all around.

"No, I don't think so." Jed countered as he quickly dismounted. "I'll just tie up her reins so she don't trip over them and she'll be fine. She won't leave the group."

Karma came up to Jed quite readily and gave him a nuzzling on the shirt in greeting. Kid laughed again and patted her neck.

"I bet ya' Heyes is cursing a blue streak right about now,' he predicted. "In a way though Lom, you should be thankin' her for taking off after us. If she'd stayed behind it might have been too big a temptation for Heyes to do exactly what you were thinking he had done."

Lom gave a heavy sigh. "Fine," he grumbled. "and who knows; we just might have need of an extra horse before this is over."

Jed nodded but made no comment. He picked up the reins and criss-crossing them around the mare's neck, he tied them up securely so they wouldn't be dragging or create a loop that the mare could get her legs caught up in.

"There ya' go," he assured her. "just stay out of the way."

While he was on the ground, Jed took the opportunity to study the tracks just to make sure the group was going the way he thought they'd be going. He nodded and smiled as he straightened up.

"Yup, just as we thought Lom," he confirmed their thinking. "they're heading straight up towards the Hole. Using that old route we stopped using because too many people knew about it."

"Well, if they're taking that old route then if we hurry and go across 'Old Stump' mesa we just might cut 'em off." Lom surmised.

"Yup," Kid agreed. "that would be my plan."

"Let's get going then," Lom ordered. "We didn't bring enough supplies to chase them all the way to Devil's Hole. We either catch 'em at 'Old Stump' or we don't catch 'em."

Jed nodded agreement. He re-mounted Gov and turning them off the road again, lead the posse up into the hills.

Heyes was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a second cup of coffee and trying to write a letter to his wife. 'Trying' was the operative word here as he was still so irritated at the unexpected turn of events that he was having a hard time focusing on his narrative.

This was not the idea at all. Come and visit Lom and Martha. Okay, that sounded safe enough and truth be known Heyes had been feeling quite relaxed in their company. But now it was just him and Martha and he was no longer feeling relaxed. What irked him even more was the fact that he couldn't figure out why.

It was in the middle of these uncomfortable musings that the woman herself appeared in the entrance to the kitchen and with a smile to him, went to the stove for her own re-fill of caffeine. She poured her cup and came to sit down at the table opposite Heyes and he tried very hard to be relaxed.

"What are you doing?" she asked by way of conversation. "Writing your memoirs?"

Heyes laughed, probably louder than needs be. "Ah, no," he controlled himself. "just trying to write a letter to my wife."

Martha smiled. "Oh yes. How is Miranda? And your daughter—she is such a sweetheart."

Heyes smiled with genuine pride. "Yes!" he agreed. "that little lady runs the household I do believe."

"Of course she does!" Martha teased. "But seriously, that was a lot for you to take on all at once. Lom was proud of you, you know."

"He was?"

"Yes. He said that it showed you were finally beginning to grow up."

"Oh," Heyes' smile dropped and he looked back down at his letter.

"Now don't let what happened this morning put you off," Martha assured him with a pat on his hand. "Lom was trying to protect you, you know that."

"I suppose," Heyes mumbled. "It's just maddening that he thinks I still need protecting."

Martha sat back and quietly contemplated this man who was sitting across the table from her. My but he was handsome. The face of an angel and eyes that were like pools of molten chocolate that could draw a lady in, thinking she had found the sweetest creature on God's earth. But there was so much more to him than that. Those eyes that appeared so warm and gentle had a depth to them that was unfathomable. Those eyes had seen so many terrible things, things that had been drawn deep down into the soul and done damage there. Damage that would remain throughout a lifetime.

She had been so pleased when they received the invitation to join in the celebration of Hannibal and Miranda's wedding. Then to witness them adopting young Sally right then and there was just icing on the wedding cake. Lom had been pleased. And so had Martha. She had very much liked Miranda when she had met her at Jed's wedding and felt that she was a good match for Hannibal.

There's nothing like marriage to the right person to give a fractured and lonely heart something to rejoice in. Both of them had been hurt from the demise of previous relationships and whether they admitted it or not, both had been searching for a safe harbour.

Miranda and Sally would give Hannibal an anchor, something solid for him to hold onto while he sorted out his life and found his footing again. Heyes would give Miranda love and security, the kind of security that went beyond the financial. The kind of security that gave pleasure and joy to life. Both of them would give Sally a home and a real family. A chance to grow up the way a little girl should grow up; with a mother and a father who loved her dearly and grandparents who would spoil her endlessly.

Martha could tell now that Hannibal was doing well. Already she could see a calmness and a contentedness in him that had not been there before. This is why she had encouraged her husband to give him some more room. Keep him tethered too tightly and he would rebel, exploding out of those bindings and ultimately self-destructing, never to be seen or heard from again.

She knew the authorities were walking a fine line with him. Being the sheriff's wife she was privy to much of what was said and thought about Hannibal Heyes from the legal point of view. But also being the wife of an ex-outlaw who just happened to know most of Hannibal's deep, dark secrets and spoke of them from the outlaw stand point gave her enough insight to realize the tenuous ground they were walking on.

Hannibal was struggling to prove himself. He was a man used to being in control and rebelled against restraints put upon him. Within himself he knew he had made the turn in his life; he was no longer an outlaw and never would be again. He had learned self-control and was beginning to develop a strong grasp of his own judgement. As far as he was concerned he no longer needed the guidelines helping him to decipher right from wrong. He had already reached the point that Kenny had told him he needed to reach before he could strike out on his own, without the parole restrictions. He knew he would be successful.

Yet he was still years away from having those restrictions lifted from him. He was frustrated by them and felt insulted that nobody seemed to think he was capable—not even his friends. Every time he tried to step out and be a part of things again, he got pushed back down. This morning's event had just been another example.

But from the legal standpoint, Hannibal Heyes was lucky simply to be out of prison. He had only served four and a half years of a twenty years to life sentence so he had no good reason to feel hard done by. It would be foolish to give the man more freedoms than he was already getting. It would be asking for trouble, like opening the gate and allowing a rogue stallion out before he'd had time to be tamed. If he could be tamed. That's really what the authorities were worried about and waiting to see; could Hannibal Heyes truly be tamed?

Martha sighed and put a hand upon his again and gave it a gentle squeeze. Heyes looked up and met her eyes.

"Lom is your friend, Hannibal," she assured him. "I know sometimes you become frustrated, but he's doing a balancing act between giving you the freedom you want to prove yourself, but keeping the government officials content that you are respecting your parole."

Heyes nodded but didn't answer. He knew she was right, but was still feeling too put out to admit to it.

"Do you resent me, Hannibal?" Martha asked him out of the blue.

Heyes felt a chill go through him. Why would he resent her? But if her question wasn't hitting close to the mark, why did it send shivers down his spine?

He shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted quite honestly. "I don't see any reason why I should."

"Well Lom and I have already discussed this."

"Oh, you have, have you?"

"Now there you go getting all defensive," Martha chided him. "and this is exactly what we were talking about. You don't like it, knowing that Lom discusses you and Jed with me, do you?"

Heyes frowned, creasing his brow in irritation. Then he realized that he was indeed, feeling defensive.

"You don't have to worry about me passing judgement on you," Martha continued. "Good heavens! I'm married to an ex-outlaw and my first husband and I knew all about Lom's past long before you and Jed came into the picture. There were very few people Lom trusted enough to discuss his previous life with so we were honoured that he did so with us. Then when you and Jed came to him and asked him to approach the governor about an amnesty well, it just opened up a whole new level of stress for him."

"It did?" Heyes asked, genuinely surprised. He'd never really thought about it from Lom's side before.

"Oh yes," Martha confirmed. "Trying to keep tabs on your two, hoping you'd stay clean and true to the course. Then at the same time knowing that as time and governor's went by the chances of you staying law abiding became less and less. Then you were both arrested. Oh my! I thought he was going to explode. Worry over Jed with that terrible injury, and worry over you and what it would do to you if Jed died.

"Then the trials. Those trials were hard on everyone! On top of the worry over you being in prison, and Jed basically self-destructing he also felt a lot of guilt. He had encouraged you and Jed to stay true to the cause, even as the years ticked by and then the governor turned around and basically stabbed you in the back. He felt responsible."

"It wasn't his fault," Heyes said quietly. "I never blamed him for it."

"I know that," Martha assured him. "and I think Lom knew it too. Yet he still couldn't help but blame himself. He needed to have someone to talk to Hannibal, or he would never have gotten through it. The only way for us to truly understand what it was all about was for him to speak freely about his life as an outlaw and his relationships with you and Jed, and the others as well.

"Then the terrible things that came out at your trials. Those things were just as hard for him to hear as they had been for you and Jed to divulge. They were hard for me to hear too; it broke my heart. No child should have to witness the things that you and your cousin did, but hearing about them helped us all to understand you better and to stand by you all the more.

"Then my husband took the fever and passed away," she sighed and a sadness settled over her countenance. Their roles reversed and Heyes gave her hand a gentle squeeze in support. "I was devastated." she admitted. "if it hadn't been for my children and for Lom, I don't know how I would have gotten through that time. But we were such good friends by then, I suppose it was only natural that we would turn to one another for support. When it suddenly dawned on us that we were two lonely people who were great friends but continued to live apart, well we decided that no one would mind if we rectified that.

"I was at first concerned that my children might take offence that I was considering marriage again so shortly after their father had passed. But it turned out to not be the case. They knew that Lom had been a good friend to both of us and that their father would not mind. So they gave their blessings and Lom and I were wed.

"And in a way it was you and Jed who made it possible. If Lom hadn't needed someone to talk to, someone whom he could trust to be discreet, well, our friendship would never have happened. So I don't want you to be feeling defensive because I know the things I know. Lom is your friend and so am I. We will both do everything we can to support you."

Heyes sat in a puddle of gratitude. He just didn't know where to go with this. He and Kid hadn't known any of this about Lom. They had been so wrapped up in their own problems, their own self-interests that Lom's part in this had never gone beyond a convenient go-between. When things were going badly they would grouse at him about it taking so long. When they got into trouble with the law he was the first person they'd send a distress signal to. When things were going well, they conveniently forgot about him.

Now, all of a sudden, Lom telling him to stay put wasn't quite to irritating after all. He was just doing what he had always done; supporting them in their quest to lead law abiding lives. Heyes was now slowly beginning to realize that he needed to lighten up on these things. Again, all he had thought about were his own self-interests. What he wanted, and the fact that he wanted them NOW.

He leaned back, drawing in a deep cleansing breath and letting it out with a loud sigh. He looked up, meeting Martha's eyes and he smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for telling me this. I never knew. He never said."

Martha nodded. "I know." She smiled as she patted his hand and then stood up. "Come. It's time for lunch. Are you hungry?"

Heyes laughed. "Yes!"

Just after high noon and everyone was getting rather warm. Jed and Lom kept pushing them however as they knew too well the time constraints that they were up against. They had to get to that mesa first or lose their opportunity and they were taking the long way around.

Everyone was getting tired except for Karma; she was still of the opinion that this was all a big game and the faster Jed led them on, the more she was enjoying it. Behind Jed's back numerous glances were being sent to the fleet-footed mare but most of them were laced with envy and resentment rather than honest admiration. With their own horses starting to slow down and getting tired, watching the mare glide along beside or a bit ahead of everyone was just enough to set the teeth on edge.

Finally, after a long up-hill push Jed brought them all to a halt at the edge of the open mesa. The reason for the name of the place became quite apparent as a few miles off an old rotting stump could still be seen rising up above the grasses. Once upon a time it had been a magnificent tree, stretching up to the heavens and defying everyone's challenge to it's right to be there.

Jed didn't know how long ago, it had always been a stump as far as he was concerned, but at some point way in the distant past Mother Nature had taken umbridge with the tree's arrogance and had sent a lightening strike its way. Now there was nothing left of its splendour, most of its body parts having long since rotted into the soil. But the stump continued to stand, blackened and lonely but still basking in its former glory.

Karma trotted out onto the grasses and dropped her head to graze while the other horses stood and panted, thankful for this long awaited reprieve.

"What do ya' think?" Lom asked Jed while they surveyed the open spaces before them.

"If we stay hidden and go around we could miss them," Jed theorized. "but if we cut across in the open they might see us and take a different route. Or..." he thought with a sudden realization. "hit us in ambush and we'd be right out there in the open with no cover."

"But we're running out of time," Lom pointed out. "chances are we got here ahead of them, but only just. I sure would hate to get caught out in the open here. That was one thing about our old gang, nobody shot to kill, both Jim and Heyes made sure of that. But this group could be totally different, we don't know what they might do."

"Yup," Kid nodded agreement. "Well, how about we split up? Joe and I can stick to the cover and work our way around to where they'd be heading and see if they've already gone through. Meanwhile the rest of you can wait here and if ya' see them break cover then I guess the chase is on. Hopefully Joe and I will be able to cut them off. In the meantime..."

"Excuse me gents," Harker interrupted this impromptu battle plan. "but it appears to be too late."

Every head in the posse, human and equine alike stopped what they were doing and looked to their right across the mesa. Sure enough five horsemen had just broken cover and were loping across the open space, obviously confident in the assumption that they were alone. That assumption was soon put to rest when two of the posse horses let out loud whinnies in greeting and everything came to an instant standstill.

The first thing the outlaws spotted was the glistening hide of the dark copper mare standing on the edge of the clearing with ears up and nostrils flared. That was an odd sight; a lone horse all tacked up but nobody with it? That was too odd a coincidence to be true and all five outlaws reached that conclusion at the same time. Spurs were put to flanks and the chase was on.

The posse broke cover, pulling rifles and hand guns as they booted their already tired horses into a gallop. They had hoped to be able to cut the outlaws off but that opportunity had been lost so everyone was riding full out, yelling and pushing their horses to give more speed. Karma was right in the thick of it, galloping easily along beside her herd and putting most of them to shame.

The only one who showed any hope at all of keeping up with her was Black Betty and she was giving it all she had. Joe continued to push her, galloping out ahead of the rest of the posse; his focus intent on the fleeing outlaws to their right and a little in front. They were closing the gap and the distance between where the two groups would cross paths was coming up fast. Betty and Karma began to compete with each other, lengthening their strides and flying across the open mesa. Their focus was on each other, the other horses were a non-entity and the rider on Betty's back was inconsequential. Of course it helped that Joe was also focused on the group ahead of them and was pushing Betty to give more even though she didn't need any prodding from him.

Jed was yelling at him, trying to get him to slow down. He had to stay with the group, it would do him no good to catch up with the outlaws if he was on his own; one lawman against five outlaws equalled a deadly encounter. But Joe couldn't hear him. Between the excitement of the chase, the sounds of rifles and hand guns going off and the rushing of wind in his ears he was oblivious to everything but his purpose. He yelled as the outlaws galloped past them, almost close enough it seemed that he could reach out and touch them.

Joe had a flash of connection as faces filled with fear and hatred glared at him. His eyes were filled with the sudden flashes from revolvers going off, aimed in his direction. The ground shook with the thundering of so many hooves as the wild-eyed horses grunted and struggled to out-run their riders' spurs. The sound of yelling men, staccato gunfire, creaking leather and horses gasping for air filled Joe's ears and then they were gone—past him and heading for the tree line.

More shots exploded behind Joe as the posse members became desperate to stop the outlaws but they had to be careful not to hit Joe by mistake. He could see the gang members turning in their saddles and sending lead back there way, but fortunately trying to actually hit something from the back of a galloping horse was almost impossible. The shots went wild and the attempt to intimidate was lost in the adrenaline rush.

Karma and Betty flattened their ears and picked up the pace even more. A new race was on. Karma was no longer in front, leading the pack and though Betty was still putting a lot of pressure on her, the chestnut mare's focus switched to the new challenge. How dare those horses cut in front of her! Who did they think they were?

Her breathing had started to labour but she was mad now and her determination to catch up to those usurpers over-ran her exhaustion. She galloped on, flying across the ground and leaving Betty further and further behind with each stride.

Both Jed and Lom were yelling at Joe to pull up! It was too late. The outlaws were going to make it to the cover of the trees and then it would be too easy for them to turn around and start shooting. The posse was going to be at a disadvantage and they had to pull up! Lom motioned for his deputies to do just that; pull up and get to cover or they would be sitting ducks and Harker made sure it happened. But Lom and Jed kept going.

More shots came from behind and one of the stationary posse members actually hit a mark. Joe heard and felt, rather than saw a horse stumble and crumble to the ground. The animal slid along the grass for a few yards, dragging its hapless rider along with it before finally coming to a halt. The rider struggled to get away from the thrashing horse, but he was hung up underneath and couldn't get away from it.

Finally the horse got himself untangled from the reins and with an almighty heave, scrambled to its feet and took off after its herd mates. The outlaw tried to stand but went down in a heap as his one leg would not support him. He was mad now, more than scared. No only had his 'friends' left him behind, but so had his horse and he felt ready to do some damage. His rifle was still in its sheath on the horse, but he had his hand gun and he started to put it to use.

Joe had suddenly realized his predicament and had begun to haul brutally on his mare's mouth but she was beyond listening to him. He reached down along one side of her neck and grabbed the rein closer down by her mouth and pulled back. He hauled her head around to the side to try and stop her, but she galloped on, her head bent but her gallop taking her forward. She fought with him while she galloped sideways, trying to get her head back. He hauled on her even harder, feeling something inside his left hand suddenly release with a 'twang'! But he ignored it, knowing he had to get his mare stopped.

Finally he got her to slow down and forced her body to follow her head around into a circle. She reared as Jed and Lom's horses came flying up behind her, but Lom got a head of her and put a full stop to her wild gallop. Jed carried on past, still hoping to be able to stop Karma, but she was too far ahead of them by now, galloping full out to catch the horses ahead of her and totally oblivious to the horses behind.

Rifle shots rang out from the tree line and a tuft of grass at Betty's feet flew into the air. Another shot followed from the opposite direction and Jed felt the breeze of it fly past his ear. The inured outlaw still had his hand gun out and was taking pot shots at any target that was standing still, hoping to get in a lucky one before the rest of the posse could get to him. Jed was so focused on trying to catch up with Karma that he didn't give the gunman an extra thought beyond seeing Harker gallop over top of him and send the hand gun flying out of his grasp.

Finally though, the Kid had to admit when he was beat. He shook his head with regret and gave up on Karma. He knew he could never catch her anyways, but for Heyes' sake he knew he'd had to try. But he gave it up as a lost cause and wheeled back to the two lawmen.

More shots rang out from just inside the treeline and then answering fire came from the posse members who were really too far away to hit anything, but still felt the need to respond to the aggressive stance. Another barrage came from the woods and Lom reacted to the shock of a hit. He grabbed his right arm, dropping his reins and very nearly losing his seat as his horse plunged ahead without guidance. Jed was quick to push Gov out in front and blocked the horse from taking off, then grabbed Lom while his friend found his seat and gathered up the reins again.

More shots were being fired back and forth and the three lawmen booted their horses back towards the cover of distance. They finally reined up at the far end of the mesa, then turned and surveyed the far tree line. The shooting at stopped. The outlaws, having won the day, aside from losing one gang member, had sheathed their rifles and carried on at a fast gallop towards their sanctuary.

Karma was no where in sight. The lawmen sat their horses, everyone gasping for air and shaking with the adrenaline, and some with injury. Harker was heading back to the group, and prodding along in front of him was a limping outlaw who was not too pleased at all at having been abandoned by his cohorts.

Jed just sat, shaking his head in disbelief and regret. How was he going to break the news to his cousin? How was he going to tell Heyes that his beloved mare was gone?

To Be Continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Changing Hands

**Colorado 1881**

It was the crickets that woke her. She had fallen asleep stretched out in the tall, dewy meadow grass lulled by the susurration of the tiny insects. It was quiet. Dead quiet and nearly dawn. The darkness still clung to the night, but off to the east was the rosy red glow of morning. Karma lifted her silky neck, pricked her ears, and listened but heard nothing. She peered through the gloomy dawn, but saw nothing. Laying her head back down; the dried pasture grass tickled her nose. Eventually, she began to drift back to sleep when another noise pierced her consciousness; a bark dissolving into a yelp from one of the ranch dogs. She recognized the dog's voice. It had been cut off before fully formed and the other dogs were silent. While the language of the canines was foreign to her, the note of fear was unmistakable. Normally, the dogs would bark several times during the night, raising an alarm about one thing or another that had upset their rest. Raccoons were a problem on the ranch as well as the coyotes that stalked the hen house; but the dogs were the ones to be feared, not to feel fear. Something was wrong and she knew it.

Karma rolled up and scrambled to her feet. Her heart was beating unreasonably fast and she felt her blood coursing through her veins. She nickered once, twice, three times, until her friends roused from slumber and responded to her. The yearlings gathered in a tight group, eyes and ears tensely focused into the darkness of the night. They could see a small light bobbing through the thick trees that surrounded the back pasture. Why were the people disturbing their sleep? They never came out at night. The scent of strange horses wafted through the air and settled on the group. Karma whinnied as did the others and she waited expectantly for an answer. It wasn't long in coming. Several whinnies shattered the stillness and then she heard the whispered cursing of an unfamiliar human. She snorted and galloped off towards the far end of the field, the other colts and fillies hurrying after her; the alpha male colt bringing up the rear. Reaching the fence line, the horses turned and stood their ground watching as a small group of horses and riders came through the gate to their sheltered pasture.

Not fully understanding the dangers, the young horses watched in fascination as the interlopers jogged slowly towards them. Karma saw one of the riders hold his arm to the side and shake open the loop of his lariat. That rope! She remembered the last time she'd seen a rope like that. She been caught, trapped and the humans had hurt her terribly. She could smell the burning flesh and hair as though it was yesterday. It had taken much loving attention by the female human to soothe her terror. She had learned a harsh lesson that day, but she had learned it well. You could trust some humans, but others were to be feared and avoided. She had to get away!

Karma bolted off at a dead run surprising her herd mates. Two or three ran after her, but the others took off in the opposite direction. The response from the riders and mounted horses was instantaneous, loud curses erupted, and the ground shook with the sound of pounding hoof beats. The rustlers broke off into two groups as well. Two riders pursued Karma and her diminished herd while the other riders bore down on the rest of the yearlings. She whinnied frantically to the bay alpha colt, who squealed in fury and rose to his hind legs to defend his band. Three mounted horses surrounded him and ropes snaked through the air, one of them settling around his neck. He reared again and struck out with his forelegs, but another rope tightened about his throat and drew tight. He was trapped between two riders, who led him between them. A third rider broke off from them and galloped across the pasture to join up with Karma's pursuers. She was galloping with all the speed she could muster, zigzagging across the field and bucking at the older, mounted horses who failed to keep up with her.

"Zeke, head that bitch off! She's too fast for us."

"Let her go. We can get two or three more."

"No! That filly's gonna be worth five times what those other nags are. Head her off, dammit!"

The chaos in the field was complete, the other yearlings dashed about crazed with fear, and one colt fell in his haste to escape. He rolled over and lay on his side, shocked and frightened, but unhurt.

From the direction of the farmhouse, came the roar of a rifle and the big human galloped into sight riding Karma's mother bareback. Both man and beast screamed in anger at the sight they beheld. The rustlers had formed a wedge and Karma was backed into a corner of the fencing screaming in fear. She snorted and tried to scramble up the wiring, tearing her skin in several places. She felt the rope catch her and the noose snapped tight around her throat. She couldn't breathe! A raw panic clutched her heart and she went wild with anger. She charged the big gray gelding in front of her and crashed into his chest driving forward off her hind legs with all her strength. The horse gave to the assault and nearly went down, but he outweighed her significantly and quickly righted himself. His rider, seeing his opportunity, slipped another lariat over Karma's head and she was caught. The third rustler was mounting his horse, after cutting the wire fencing and creating an opening for the other rustlers and the rest of the yearlings to escape through. The two rustlers dragged Karma along as the third lashed cruelly at her hind end, driving her forward against her will. She was terrified, but she was furious and screamed in rage.

Her mama galloped down to the road towards the pasture fence at breakneck speed. Without pause, she leapt off her powerful hind legs and cleared the wooden gate. Landing heavily, her rider rocked forward, and scrambled to hang on. He nearly lost his rifle, and by the time he had recovered, the rustlers had slipped through the fencing. The mare pounded on, but the rider couldn't get a clean shot without endangering the young horses. He cursed and drove the mare on, grimly gripping her with his legs. Shots whistled through the air around him and he pulled up. It was too late, he couldn't save the yearlings, and he wouldn't risk his foundation mare any further. He sat on the heaving horse, listening to the receding whinnies of the captured horses. He felt sick. The damn rustlers had taken their finest filly and best colt as well as the hopes and dreams of everyone on the ranch.

**Wyoming 1892**

Milton Price was pissed off. For five years he'd been grifting and scamming and pulling petty robberies just to get by. Then finally he'd met up with Gus Orrison inside a jail cell and the two of them had gotten to talking. Apparently, Orrison knew somebody who knew somebody who was planning on riding up to Devil's Hole and making that old hide out habitable again.

Price had been skeptical. He'd heard that place had been burned to the ground and it would take all the warm weather months and twenty fellas working every day to get it back to its former glory. And, that's if they could get the building supplies up there without tipping off the law that something was up. Orrison was adamant, though, he knew a guy who knew a guy who was getting it organized.

It would be great, Orrison had insisted. Devil's Hole was the most secure outlaw hideout in the history of the west and all they had to do was get it liveable again. Perfectly located for both security and convenience, it was a warm place to put up for the winter and have the comradeship of being a member in a gang of like-minded companions. Hadn't Devil's Hole been the most successful gang in Wyoming's history? The name already struck fear into the hearts of the citizenry; all they had to do was build on it. It would be great.

Price had spent that night pondering the possibilities. If enough men could be brought together, they could do it; get the Hole up and running again. It might even be fun. Certainly better than what he had, drifting from town to town, scraping out an illegal living and wondering how many more jail cells he was going to end up in before he got killed or hauled off to prison. Hell, he had nothing better to do—maybe he ought to check it out.

Now here he was, after putting in all that hard work helping to haul supplies up into the hills, building the support structures for a new barn, the bunkhouse, and leader's cabin; not to mention outhouses, cookhouse, smokehouse, holding pens, corrals and, let's not forget, the chicken coop. Somebody had insisted they had to have fresh eggs all the time. Sheesh! What did they think this was; a freaking hotel?

Yup, here he was. Standing around nursing a throbbing ankle and surrounded by six lawmen none of whom seemed to give a rat's axx that he was hurting. In fact, a couple of them seemed more concerned about the fact that one of their horses had run off! Price was concerned about it too, because his horse had also run off and he was wondering how he was going to be getting back to town. Surely they didn't expect him to walk all the way!

"It's not your fault, Jed," Joe was trying to commiserate his distraught companion. "Actually it's more my fault than yours. If I hadn't gone charging off ahead of everyone else, the two of them wouldn't have started racing. That was stupid on my part, I wasn't thinking."

"Dammit," Jed cursed. "Who would have thought she would take off like that? I thought she'd stay close to Gov. What am I gonna tell Heyes?"

Price's ears perked up at the sound of that familiar name but it didn't get the chance to go anywhere as that large deputy and the sheriff returned to the group. He smirked slightly to himself as he spied the blood soaked shirt sleeve hanging in tatters around the sheriff's right arm. At least he wasn't the only one who got injured here.

Kid looked a little sheepishly at his friend.

"Ah, Lom, I'm sorry," he apologized. "Here you got wounded and all I can think about is that damn mare."

"Well, that's alright Kid," Lom assured him, "it's not too bad, just a scratch really."

Kid? Price started to pay real close attention to this conversation now. He knew that Kid Curry had gotten his amnesty, but why in the world would he be helping the law track down his old gang? Well, he surmised, it's not really his old gang is it? But still, the name was the same. Then he recalled hearing rumors back when Devil's Hole had been burned to the ground. Rumors that claimed that Kid Curry had actually been with the lawmen on the train and had assisted in the killing and capturing of his old gang members!

Price glanced over at the man in question and felt some serious loathing. How could he do that to his old buddies? Yeah, some people would go to any lengths to feather their own nests. Heyes is probably in on this little escapade too, that's probably how he got out of prison after only serving a fraction of the time; he'd made a deal. That's what he'd done! And now the two of them were siding with the law to help track down and bury every single outlaw in the State.

Price's hostile musings were cut short when Deputy Wilkins suddenly turned on him, grabbing him by the arm pulling him over towards them. Price inadvertently put weight on his injured leg and stumbled.

"Well, there. Ha!' Harker bellowed. "At least it ain't broke. You can walk on it."

"Walk!?" Price complained. "I'm in pain here. I'm your prisoner that means ya gotta tend to my needs. I ain't walkin' all the way back to town!"

"I say you'll go where you're told to go!" Harker bellowed back. "And since you went and lost your horse, you'll walk!"

"Weren't my fault one of ya shot him out from under me," Price complained. "Seems to me whoever shot my horse can walk, and I'll ride his animal."

A number of hoots and chortles followed this statement and Price started feeling defensive.

"Well at least let me double up with somebody!" He continued to protest. "Ya can't make me walk all the way back. I won't make it! Besides, I'd slow ya all down."

Harker humphed and then glanced at his boss.

"He does have a point Sheriff," he said, as much as it irked him to be agreeing with this low-life. "Your wound ain't bad now, but we best get it looked at by the Doc as soon as possible."

"Yeah!" Price was quick to agree. "Them things can turn septic real quick."

Everybody ignored him, but Lom considered the situation.

"Injuries aside," he began. "If we want to get back to Porterville sometime tonight we can't be draggin' along a lame man walking. It would slow us down too much."

"Why don't ya just leave me here?" Price suggested hopefully. "I'm sure my friends will come back and..."

"We'll have to take turns doubling up with him so we don't wear out the horses." Lom continued, again ignoring the prisoner. "Anyone else beside me get injured?"

"Well yeah," Price spoke up. "I mean my leg got squashed underneath..."

"Anyone else?" Lom repeated.

"Ah, yeah," Joe admitted a little sheepishly. "It doesn't sound like much, but I think I strained my finger trying to get Betty under control. It didn't seem too bad at first, but it's hurtin' something awful now."

"Oh, here let me see that!" Said Harker as he grabbed the young deputies injured hand.

Joe sucked his teeth and pulled back. "Ouch!" He complained. "Careful."

"Oh, sorry," Harker stated, though not sounding too contrite. "Well, c'mon over here. Let's get it taped up. The Doc can take a look at it when we get in."

Joe and Harker left the group while Lom passed the handcuffs over to one of the temporary deputies.

"Here Fred, cuff him will ya?" Lom instructed him. "Then let him ride with you for the first shift. Hopefully going downhill we'll get back to town faster than it took us to get here."

"Yeah alright Sheriff," Fred agreed though he didn't look too happy about it. "C'mon you, let's go."

Lom and Kid stood where they were for a moment, neither one of them too pleased with the way this whole thing had ended up.

"Dammit!" Lom cursed. "This is downright inconvenient. At least with you and Heyes running the gang, and Wheat as well, you fellas stayed outa my town. Now I gotta deal with a whole nest of two-bit crooks thinking they run the show again. Dammit."

"Well that's what can happen when ya try to fix somethin' that ain't broke," Kid philosophized. "Maybe Morrison shoulda just left well enough alone."

Lom snorted. "Like that was gonna happen," he snarked. "You know as well as I do the day of the outlaw is coming to an end. It just irks me that I gotta deal with this problem one more time. Still, we have us a prisoner now. We get him back to town and see how talkative he's willing to be."

With that Lom moved off to get his own horse ready for the ride back home. Jed stood and let loose a quiet sigh. Where was Abi when they could really use her? She'd get information out of that low-life before another day had gone by. She could have also saved Jed the unfortunate task of having to tell Heyes that Karma had run off. Yeah, that would have been a much better situation.

As soon as the outlaws were well within the cover of trees, they split up and turned to face the on-coming posse. Much to their relief the majority of the lawmen had already pulled up and turned back, realizing that they were now vulnerable being caught out in the open while the outlaws had the trees for cover. Still, three of the pursuers were within range and the leader of the gang raised his rifle and sent a warning shot their way. It didn't seem to deter them so he sent another one, hitting the apparent leader in the arm and putting an end to the chase.

"That did it," he needlessly announced. "c'mon, let's get outa here before they find their nerve again."

"But what about Milt?" Orrison spoke up. "We gotta go back for 'em!"

"Not on your life!" Duncan snapped back. "It's too late to help him now. Get goin'!"

Orrison and Ames exchanged glances. Neither of them was comfortable with leaving their friend behind but they didn't feel up to challenging the boss over it either. Tom Duncan could be a hard man and though they had all decided that he was just the right kind of man to get the Hole up and running again, at times like this some wondered if he'd been a good choice.

Still, everyone in the group turned their horses' heads towards 'home' and left their comrade behind. They carried on; keeping the horses at a hand gallop that would cover the distance quickly but not wear the animals out over the long haul. They still had many miles to go before getting back to the sanctuary of their hideout and they didn't want to use up their horses if that posse decided to come at them again.

The afternoon wore on and there was no further sign of pursuit so the men gradually began to relax. It was then that they took notice of the extra horse that had joined up with them and had been galloping along with the herd as though she belonged there. Everyone had been aware of her before, but with other things on their minds no one thought to give her an extra look. It was simply assumed that, along with Price's horse, this one had become separated from her rider and had simply joined up with the wrong gang.

Now that the pressure was off, eyes were beginning to look her way. The first thing that was noted was the easy lengthy strides that the mare took, covering the ground beneath her as though she were a sailing ship, and gliding upon a smooth ocean. The next thing they noticed was that her reins were not hanging loose and dragging; they had been securely wrapped around her neck and tied as though she had been without a rider all along. The next thing that was noted by all but one was that she was beyond their reach. Tom Duncan was going to claim her, no doubt about it. She was just too fine a horse for the likes of the rest of them.

Sure enough, when the gang stopped for the night at the mid-way camp site the first thing Duncan did was catch up to that mare and give her a solid looking over. He untied the reins from around her neck and led her around in a circle a little bit, watching the way she moved and the way she looked at him. He smiled and stepping in closer gave her a pat on the neck.

Karma snorted and jerked away from him. There was something about him that she didn't like. As a matter of fact there was something about this whole situation that she didn't like. There was nobody here whom she knew and she was beginning to get concerned. They'd all been running together, having a great time until suddenly she found herself in unknown territory, running with horses that she didn't know. She was nervous, but because of that nervousness and uncertainty she stayed close to the other horses. Safety in numbers. Stay with the herd.

Now this stranger had a hold of her reins and she didn't like him. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but something about him made her nervous. She stared back at him, wild eyed and suspicious. She didn't like the look of him, she didn't like the smell of him and she didn't like the harsh feel of his hands on her reins. Then he touched her and her skin crawled.

"That's alright girlie," Duncan smiled and gave her another pat. He chuckled as her whole body cringed. "You'll get used to me."

He led her over to the other horses and leaving the saddle on her, he removed the bridle and fixing her up with a rope halter, he tied her to the picket line. He gave her a small feeding of grain and then returned to the camp fire where a makeshift dinner was in the process. Ames and Ed Davis were quickly getting some beans down their throats since they had pulled first watch and both men were hungry.

"I'd say that was a pretty successful job, boys," Duncan congratulated them all. "The money we got from that safe will nicely finish up the work on the cabin. Plus a little left over to split up among the rest of you lot. Not bad for a few days on the trail, huh?"

"Exceptin' we lost a man," Orrison couldn't help but grumble.

Strained silence settled around the fire. Ames and Davis stopped chewing. Duncan pulled a flask out of his saddle bag and took a drink then sent a sneer Orrison's way.

"We may have lost what you refer to as 'a man'," he commented, "but we gained one hell of a horse. The way I see it; as a trade-off we've come out on top."

Heyes had sat out on the front porch most of the afternoon in anticipation of his friends returning. He had finally gotten his letter to Miranda finished but he wasn't really satisfied with it. His focus just hadn't been on it and he felt guilty about not giving her his full attention. Finally though, he'd settled for 'good enough', folded it up and sealed it, then took a walk over to the train depot to drop it off with the other mail heading south.

If he'd been thinking clearly, he would have waited for Jed to get back and write his own letter to his own wife and posted both at the same time. But he wasn't thinking clearly and was desperate to find things to do to occupy his mind and body until the posse returned home. He sat, trying to read his book but continually finding himself scanning the horizon in hopes of spotting the trail dust.

Supper time arrived and Heyes found himself, once again, sitting down at the kitchen table with just Martha for company. The meal was simple fare, consisting mainly of re-heated left-overs from the previous evening's meal, but Heyes didn't mind. It almost tasted better on the second day and he wasn't really all that hungry anyways.

Martha smiled over at him. "You must learn how to relax," she observed. "You'll run yourself ragged allowing your mind to worry."

Heyes looked up from toying with his food.

"Sorry," he said with a self-deprecating smile. "I guess I've been ignoring you."

"I'm not the one who needs babysitting," she pointed out and Heyes frowned. She smiled at his discomfort. "I learned early on how to turn my mind away from worrying about him. If I hadn't, I'd be a nervous wreck by now."

Heyes sighed and leaned back. "Maybe you can give me some pointers," he requested. "I've never been able to shut my mind off, and you're right; it does run me ragged."

"The trick is to not try and shut it off," Martha told him, "but to distract it onto other things."

Heyes nodded, "Like music."

Martha's brow creased. "How do you mean?"

"When I was in prison," Heyes explained quietly, almost afraid to go back there, even just in conversation. "I was having a hard time..." Martha smiled sadly and nodded. "...so the lady parson there brought some classical music for me to listen to." He smiled himself then, remembering his introduction to those masters. "It helped—a lot. I found that when things got too much I would simply send my mind into the music and for a while, anyways, I could escape from my life there and be someplace beautiful."

"That's good," Martha commented. "I remember at Jed's wedding, that Catholic nun brought you a music box and some records. Was that from...?"

"Yes," Heyes brightened up noticeably. "Apparently the reverend had herself a new music box and thought kindly enough of me to pass the old one along."

"That was very sweet of her," Martha said. "Obviously she knew how much you enjoyed it."

Heyes nodded, his thoughts returning home to his wife and daughter. "We've sat in our living room, the three of us—well, four, if you count the cat—with the snow coming down outside. We'd have the stove on and the lamps dimmed. Randa would make tea or hot cider and we'd just sit together on the sofa, all three—four of us cuddling and listening to the music. It would be so peaceful and loving..." He brought himself back to the present and looked up with an embarrassed smile. Oh well, he shrugged.

Martha laughed and gave him a friendly pat on the hand. "It sounds lovely. And what beautiful memories for your daughter to grow up with. It must seem like heaven to her."

"It's heaven to me!"

"I'm glad Hannibal, you deserve it," she told him. "Now, speaking of tea; would you like some?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good! I have some shortcake here as well. Maybe I can get you to eat that."

"Oh," Heyes looked sheepishly down at his plate of hardly-touched supper.

It was well past dark when they finally heard footsteps on the front porch. Heyes and Martha were both on their feet instantly as the front door opened and Lom and Kid entered the cozy home. Martha went to her husband, spying his torn shirt.

"Lom you've been hurt!"

"It's alright Martha, just as scratch."

"Just a scratch!? Look at all the blood on your sleeve!"

"Looks worse than it is."

Throughout this spousal exchange Heyes and Jed had locked gazes and held them. At first, Heyes was grinning in relief at seeing his cousin back safe and sound, but it didn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong. His smile turned into a slight frown while he waited for the other foot to drop.

"You'll need to have the doctor take a look at it..." Martha was insisting.

"I know," Lom assured her, "we're on our way there right now. I just thought I'd stop in to let you know that we're back."

"Anyone else get hurt?" His wife asked, concern for the other members of the posse coming forth now that her husband's condition had been assessed.

"Yeah, Joe hurt his hand," Lom told them.

"His hand?" Heyes asked. "Somebody shoot him?"

"No," Lom assured him, "he had trouble controlling that mare of his, she got runnin' away on him and he had to fight with her to get her to come down. It's actually hurting him quite a bit so he probably broke a bone in the finger or something."

"Oh," Heyes nodded. "Any luck with anything else?" He was asking Lom these questions, but he was acutely aware of the Kid's uncomfortable silence. "Did you catch up with them?"

"Yeah, we caught up with them," Lom told them with a disappointed sigh. "We were hoping to cut them off at Old Stump Mesa, but we barely got there ahead of them and it turned into a dash for cover. We got one of 'em in custody and you can be sure we'll be asking him some questions tomorrow. Other than that..." Lom shrugged, then leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "I better get over to the Doc's and then make sure the prisoner gets settled in alright. We'll be back home in a couple of hours."

"Alright," his wife smiled. "I'll warm supper for when you get back."

Lom nodded and, giving Jed a consolatory pat on the arm, exited the comfortable home to re-join the posse outside.

"You must be hungry Jed," Martha predicted. "I'll get some supper warming for you right now."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks."

Martha headed into the kitchen while Heyes and Jed stood and looked at each other.

"Alright Kid," Heyes finally broke. "Spit it out. What's wrong?"

Jed sighed. "Karma," he said quietly.

The blood drained from Heyes' face. "What...? Is she not with you?"

"No," Jed admitted. "She joined up with us alright, but she got all full of herself...you know the way she gets," Heyes nodded, a knot developing in his gut. "Well, we started giving chase to those outlaws and Karma got to racing with Betty. The two of them got out in front of us and I guess Karma spotted the other horses in front of her and then the race was really on. You know how she hates to have another horse in front of her."

"Yeah."

"Well, she latched onto those outlaw horses and forgot all about us." Kid sighed regretfully. "I tried to get to her Heyes, I tried to stop her but she's just so damn fast! She disappeared into the woods along with the outlaws. She didn't come back."

Heyes just stood silently, his mouth slightly open, having one of those rare moments when he just didn't know what to say. The minutes ticked by.

"Dammit Heyes! Say somethin', will ya?"

"Ahh...well, umm." Heyes gave a feeble attempt. "She's with the outlaws?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we'll just ride up there and get her back," it sounded like a good idea to Heyes.

"You know Lom won't go for that," Kid reminded him.

"Well, Lom wants someone to infiltrate the gang to get information," Heyes reasoned logically. "We'll just go do that instead of waitin' on Wheat and Kyle."

"We're already on a job Heyes, remember?" Jed again reminded him. "Jesse's payin' us, we can't just..."

"Well, we can't just leave her there!" Heyes' voice was starting to rise as this news truly sank in. "Besides we need her with us for people to identify."

"No, we don't, Heyes," Kid told him. "It would have helped but it's not necessary."

"This whole job is about tracking down her lineage," Heyes pointed out. "What's the point of we don't have the horse?"

"Jesse has Ned and Daisy," Jed reminded him. "We need Karma's lineage but not Karma herself. Heyes, I'm not saying she ain't important, I know she is! All I'm saying is you can't go after her! Leave it to Wheat and Kyle to get her out!"

"Well I'm not leaving without her!" Heyes insisted. "If you won't help me get her back, then I'll go up there on my own..."

"Heyes, ya can't do that!" Kid argued, putting a hand on his cousin's arm. "Ya know you can't!"

Heyes shrugged the hand away. "Why can't I?" He demanded. "What's to stop me? Who's gonna stop me? You!?"

"YEAH!" Kid was getting mad now himself. "Yeah, Heyes, I will stop ya. You know a condition of your parole is that you don't associate with known outlaws. And now you want ta ride up there right into the thick of 'em just to get your horse back!"

"YEAH! I DO!"

"Well I ain't gonna let ya."

"You're not gonna stop me..."

Heyes made a move towards the front door quite oblivious to the fact that he was not dressed at all appropriately for a night-time ride even if he'd had a horse available. Jed grabbed his arm as he walked by and Heyes took a swing at him. Kid ducked and, without thinking, he gave his cousin a hard shove and sent him head first into the door. Heyes grunted and fell to the floor. Before Heyes could get his bearings, Jed came down on top of him and pinned him there.

Heyes instantly started to fight. "GET OFF ME!" He struggled and kicked and tried to get out from under the full weight of his cousin.

"Nope, I ain't gonna Heyes," Jed told him. "I ain't gonna let you throw away your parole and once you've had a chance to calm down you'll know I'm right."

Heyes continued to struggle, his anger making him refuse to see reason. Kid bore down even more, pinning Heyes down so he couldn't get his arms into position to push himself up. Heyes tried to twist and squirm his way out from under, but Jed wrapped his legs around him and quite effectively stopped his partner from even being able to move.

"Dammit!" Heyes cursed as he struggled. "Get off! You can't hold me down all night!"

"Wanna bet?" Was the smug reply. "Besides, I don't havta hold ya down all night Heyes, only until Lom gets back. And you know what he'll say. Now are you gonna calm down and be reasonable or would ya rather spend the night handcuffed to a doorknob?"

Heyes gave one more valiant effort to dislodge his heavier cousin then gave it up as a lost cause. Working all those years on Jesse's ranch had really done wonders for the Kid's physique.

"Fine," Heyes grumbled. "You win. I give up. You gonna get off me now?"

"Nope."

Heyes sighed. He heard footsteps and looked over towards the kitchen door to see Martha's feet standing there. Both men glanced up at her.

"Are you boys done?" She asked calmly." Your supper's ready Jed."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jed commented from the floor. "I'll be right there."

"Fine," she smiled. "Don't be long or it'll get cold all over again."

"No, ma'am, I won't be."

The feet turned and went back into the kitchen.

Heyes gave a satisfied smile, "Your supper is waiting for ya Kid. Ain't ya hungry?"

"Yeah," Jed openly admitted, "but it can wait."

Heyes' smile returned to snarky. "I told ya you can get off me. You've made your point."

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah."

"You're not just sayin' that so's I'll let ya up?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"Kid!"

"You promise me you won't try and sneak out of here later on and head up to the Hole on your own?"

"I promise."

"You promise what?"

Heyes let loose a long-suffering sigh. "I promise I won't try and sneak out on ya later and head up to the Hole on my own."

"Fine."

Jed pushed himself to his feet and offered a hand to help his cousin get up. Heyes snarked just a bit, but did take the offered hand and came up to his feet as well. He put a hand to the bruise beginning to form on his forehead.

"Ya pushed me kinda hard into that door, ya know."

"Hmm. Door looks alright to me."

After supper was done, Duncan returned to the picket line to take another look at that mare. There was something familiar about her but he just couldn't put his finger on it. It's like he'd seen her somewhere before but the penny just wouldn't drop. He stood there for the longest time, his hand up to his mouth in concentration and gazed at her, both of them trying to put it all together.

Karma stood there and gazed back at him. She didn't like this man any more now than she had an hour ago. There was that smell about him that she felt she recognized but just couldn't place. It made her feel nervous, scared, resentful. Her ears went back and she tossed her head with an angry snort. She wished he would just go away.

Duncan smiled and came up to her. He ran his hands along her body and he could feel her muscles tense under his touch. He didn't care; he touched her everywhere, running his hands down her neck and over her withers then around her girth. She shifted and stamped a foot; he was getting far too familiar. He patted her barrel then stroked her along her back. She swung her head around and took a quick swipe at him with her teeth. He brushed her away and laughed at her. She snorted, really irritated now.

He ran his hand over her rump and then down between her inner thighs. She took swing at him with her hind leg but he was experienced enough with horses to not be within range of those back hooves. He continued to stroke her inner thigh, first one and then the other. He moved his hand higher up and then he stopped. He could feel it there; the criss-crossing of scars left behind from an old wound. He felt it again, with a little more pressure, just to be sure. And then he smiled; he knew he'd seen her before.

**Wyoming 1881**

The filly was tired. These men had been pushing them beyond anything they had ever known before. They travelled mostly at night and this made the going even more difficult for the young horses, but they weren't given a choice and they had to keep on going. The only good thing about it was that it wasn't so hot travelling at night and they were able to rest through the cruelest times of the day.

In the mornings, about an hour after sun up, the herd of yearlings would be pushed into some sort of natural enclosure or sometimes a roped-off corral made with the riders lariats, so the men could rest and get something quick to eat. Shade was scarce, but as the sun worked its way across the sky, the horses tried to herd together taking advantage of what little shade they could find and swishing flies away from their companions' faces. They spent most of the hot days sleeping and scrounging meager meals out of the sparse prairie grasses but none of the horses were getting quite enough to eat and they all began to lose weight.

As for water, there just wasn't much to be had. The herd did come across a watering hole on one of their night drives; whether it was by luck or good planning it didn't matter to the horses. It was water and that's all that counted. The small herd trotted quickly once they got the scent and didn't stop until they were all knee deep in the refreshing pool and drinking to their hearts content. Half an hour later, they were being pushed onwards again. They had no idea what was going on or why the men were pushing them so hard. The fact that they were now 'stolen property' did not come into their consciousness; it had no meaning to them. The horses simply knew they were being pushed  
almost beyond endurance and all they wanted was for it to stop.

After a week of difficult nighttime travelling, the men did not stop with the daylight hours and kept pushing the tired herd onwards, starting to climb up into the hills of Wyoming. Deeper and deeper into the back country they went until they were hidden from civilized eyes and legitimate ownership.

Finally, as the sun was creeping up to its zenith, the yearlings all pricked their ears and flared their nostrils with anticipation. Before them they spotted human-made structures and other horses milling around in corrals, swishing their tails and EATING HAY! The resident horses lifted their heads  
at the sight of the newcomers and some sent out whinnies of greeting.

Some of the yearlings nickered back through their dry throats and the pace quickened with the promise of food and drink and a place to rest. They trotted down the hill towards the shabby buildings and didn't resist at all as the drovers pushed the horses through the entrance of a large corral and  
closed the gate upon them.

There was some scuffling, and re-establishing of the pecking order as all the yearlings tried to drink out of the water trough at the same time. Karma laid her ears back and aimed threatening kicks at the lesser beings as she pushed her way to the water. Most of the others backed off, but three of the more dominant ones did not and they all dunked their noses deep into the life-giving liquid and sucked it down unto their thirsts were slaked.

The other yearlings stood back and watched wistfully. They swished their tails and licked their lips with anticipation of their turn at the trough. No one wanted to receive a nasty kick for their presumptuousness and so they waited until the four horses at the trough had their fill and casually began to move off to the piles of hay strategically scattered about the corral. The dominant colt ended up with the largest pile, naturally. Karma laid claim to the next largest.

A few minutes later, the other horses crept over to the unoccupied hay and started to eat. Since the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, the newly claimed, lesser piles suddenly looked quite tasty to the stronger yearlings and they decided to check them out. Ears back and heads  
down they each, in turn, chased off another yearling from the hay and started to eat.

The intimidated horses moved over to the hay piles the larger yearlings had just abandoned and began to eat again until the alpha animals realized what they had wasn't nearly as tasty as what they'd left, and came back with flattened ears to reclaim their original pile. Things settled down briefly before the musical piles started again.

In this way, as in all ways; the dominant horses got most of the feed while the smaller individuals settled for what they could quickly eat before being chased off to find another pile. Even in domesticated herds, survival of the fittest was an instinct too hard to ignore and Karma made sure she got more than her fair share. After all, she was the Princess.

The young horses were given a few hours to eat, drink, and get settled before anything new was going to be added to their already stressful situation. After they had rested, things changed. All heads shot skyward as two men with ropes entered the corral and started moving amongst the yearlings slapping their lariats against leather-chapped thighs to get the herd moving.

Karma snorted her irritation and, ducking her head, she lit out at a brisk trot around the pen. The other horses scattered going in different directions in their efforts to get away from the men. The horses were all broken to ground manners and were accustomed to humans coming to pay them attention, but this type of attention was not welcomed. Heads and tails were up again and the dust rose in clouds from the hooves of the anxious animals.

"Get that one!" one of the men ordered from the sidelines.

"Which one?" was the enquiry from a young fella inside the corral. "They all look alike to me!"

The sedentary man shook his head and scoffed. "How the hell do you expect to be any good at this if ya can't tell the good ones from the bad?"

The youngster shrugged and watched in some confusion as the horses trotted away from him. The second man in the pen came up behind the youngster and gave him a hard shove, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Hey!" The younger man yelled in irritation. "What the hell was that for!?"

"He means THAT ONE!" The second human pointed a deliberate finger at the copper filly. "Get her separated."

"Fine! All ya gotta do is say so..."

The youngster slapped his thigh with the lariat and zeroed in on the princess. Karma's anxiety level increased as she realized that she was being singled out. Her head went down and she powered herself into a strong gallop over to the far side of the paddock. Stopped by the high fence, she turned to face the predator, her head high and eyes staring.

The human came at her from the other direction and pushed her back the way she had just come. Her head went down and she took off again, forcing her way through the other yearlings that weren't quite fast enough to get away. She didn't care about them, she was desperate to find an escape route and  
get away from her tormenter.

She trotted around the fence line when suddenly the rope snaked out at her and she really panicked! The end of it hit the fence, making a loud 'whap' and she pivoted to the outside, turning her hind end to the human and taking off again at a gallop. 'Whap!' The snake whipped out again in front of her, turning her once more and separating her from the other horses.

Finally she saw it—an escape route! An opening in the fence that hadn't been there before suddenly presented itself and she quickly ducked into it to get away from that snake! A gate was quickly closed across the opening to prevent any of the other horses from following her and she suddenly found  
herself alone in this new enclosure. She trotted around the circle, shaking her head and snorting her frustration. This was supposed to be an escape, not just a door into another trap.

She stopped at the far end of the pen and turned to listen to the commotion going on in the previous corral. Men were sitting on the fence and yelling encouragement to the humans and Karma could hear the other horses galloping around in their efforts to escape. She heard the snake hit the boards again causing her to jump and trot a few steps before stopping and trotting back to her mark. She didn't want to get any closer to that snake than she had to.

A human jumped down into her paddock, and looking through the boards to see what was going on next door, he suddenly pulled that gate open again and the dominate colt came running through the opening. Quick as a flash, the gate was slammed shut and Karma and the colt found themselves in each other's company again.

He trotted over to her and both yearlings stood and stared back at the men on the fence. They waited nervously for what was going to happen next, but nothing happened. Eventually all the horses settled down and relaxed. Evening fell around them and interest was piqued again as more hay  
was thrown over the fences and everyone settled in to an appreciated meal.

Tom Duncan and his brother Gerald cautiously made their way down to the Running Brand Ranch. They had a nice little arrangement set up with the Mathison family. The adult sons of that clan were the ones who did the real dangerous work of rustling. The young men were still of an age to think it was an adventure to sneak onto a ranch or someone's open range and help themselves  
to the livestock living there. They didn't differentiate between the various types of livestock; anything handy would do. Horses, cattle and even sheep were snatched, driven to this isolated ranch in the Wyoming back country and penned in these very same corrals.

Trusted buyers were quickly contacted and the bargaining would begin. Not just anybody was invited to view the merchandise, only people who didn't mind taking on stolen animals, people who preferred to take on stolen animals. It was a living and, if done well, a good living. They didn't have to go through the work and worry and expense of breeding and raising quality animals, they just simply had to sit back and wait. Eventually, and usually quite regularly, the Mathison boys would go on a raid and almost always come back with money on the hoof.

This time they had outdone themselves. It had been a little risky, cutting these yearlings out of a secure pasture, close to the ranch house but each man knew the results would be worth it. Even in the dark they could see the quality of the yearlings and the alpha pair was more than impressive.

As soon as they had the herd on the move to Wyoming, one of the brothers had broken off, riding into a small town to send a telegram. They had known the Duncan s would be interested. Those two were always interested in quality livestock, the cleaner the better. And they never asked any questions about  
where the animals had come from.

The Duncan brothers knew they were expected at the Running Brand, but they rode in cautiously. This was outlaw country and they had no desire to run into any gangs who might see two lone riders as fair game. The Devil's Hole hideout was still many miles to the north but they were known to travel far and wide if they had a particularly good job to pull. Neither Tom nor Gerald wanted to run into Hannibal Heyes and have to explain what they were doing there.

For one thing, that gang wasn't above doing business with the Mathison family themselves. If Heyes got wind of some quality yearlings up for grabs, he just might take exception to someone else riding in and scooping them up; best to be careful and avoid a confrontation all together. If they were lucky, Heyes and his gang would be busy elsewhere in their territory, robbing some other fella.

Good fortune stayed with the two brothers and they made the journey to the Running Brand without mishap. Trotting down the lane towards the stockyard they both had their eyes on the pen holding the numerous yearlings and got a good idea of the quality that was there. They exchanged knowing glances and silently agreed that they would have to deal carefully here.

Riding into the yard, they dismounted in front of the house and were instantly met and greeted by the owner. Hands were shaken all around.

"Howdy Tom, Gerry," the monarch acknowledged them through his handlebar moustache. "Safe trip?"

"Not bad," Gerry told him. "Didn't see nobody so that's gotta be good."

"Yup, usually is. Frank! Gus! Get out here!"

Two gangly looking fellas in perpetually soiled clothing made their way down the front steps, both wiping the remnants of lunch from their scruffy faces.

"What's up, Pa?"

"What do ya mean, 'what's up'?" the parent snapped back. "You know the routine. We got payin' customers here. Get to work."

Both young men grumbled about being in the middle of lunch, but when their pa made a move towards them they both jumped to it and got down to business. The four men headed over to the main corral, and as a unit they stepped up on the lower board of the fence and scrutinized the yearlings inside. The yearlings scrutinized them back.

"Well they're not a bad lookin' bunch," Gerald conceded. "I suppose they're better than goin' home empty handed."

"What do ya mean 'not a bad lookin' bunch'?" the eldest son Gus snarked back. "Them's the best lookin' yearlings yer gonna find in the whole damn territory."

Tom spit into the dirt and took another look. "Well..." he grumbled. "Are they clean?"

"You can see they ain't," Frank shot back at him, "but that's an easy enough brand to disguise. They already did us a favor by brandin' 'em on the inside of the thigh. It don't take away nothin' from the look of the horse, and it makes it a damn sight easier to hide. We can do it right here if ya  
wanna pay a bit more for 'em."

Tom snorted at the joke. "I can take care of the brands myself." He and his brother exchanged looks and they both shrugged. "We're not impressed."

"What do ya mean?" Frank complained. "What's wrong with 'em?"

Tom shrugged again then pointed his chin towards the second pen. "How come them two are separate?"

"They ain't part of the deal here," Gus told him. "This group goes as a package deal; them two ain't part of it."

"That so?" Gerald commented.

The two brothers stepped down from the fence and ambled over to the second pen. Gus and Frank exchanged glances and smiled. They followed the prospective buyers over to the second fence. Gerald and Tom were already up on the lower board looking over the two young horses.

"One of ya get in there and move em' around a little bit," Gerald told them. "I wanna see how they move."

Frank stepped down off the fence and grabbing his lariat, stepped into the corral to show off the livestock. Gus Mathison Sr. stepped quietly up behind the group to keep an eye on proceedings. He didn't want his sons messing this sale up.

Frank slapped his thigh and the two yearlings snorted and trotted away from him. Karma kept her eye on the snake and, arching her neck, she danced away to the far side of the corral, turning to face the

new threat. The Duncan brothers exchanged quick looks that weren't lost on the family's monarch.  
The buyers were impressed.

"Push that filly out a bit more," Tom instructed. "Let's see how she moves."

Frank shrugged and snaked the rope out towards the copper yearling. Karma snorted in agitation and, powering off her hindquarters, she galloped around the pen, leading the colt along with her.

"Okay, that's fine," Gerald said. "That's all I need to see."

The two buyers made their way over to the first corral and stepped back up onto the fence.

"So," Gerald began. "I'll give ya $200 for the ten in here as long as ya throw in them other two for $10 apiece."

All three Mathisons laughed and chortled at the offer.

"You're outa yer mind!" Mr. Mathison accused them. "Them two is worth $30 apiece if 'n they's worth a dollar."

"Fine," Gerald countered. "I'll give ya $50 for them two and $5 apiece for a couple of them other ones."

"Nope," Mathison shook his head. "That bunch goes as a package deal. Ya take 'em all or ya take none. We got other buyers interested. Up ta you."

"Well now, we don't really need the whole bunch," Tom stepped in. "We got no use for them all."

"Come off it!" the old horse thief snarked. "You can flip them yearlings, no problem, and you know it! Don't give me that crap! Stop playin' games. Let's get down to business."

Gerald smiled. "Alright," he agreed. "Sure we can flip 'em, but we gotta clean up them brands and move 'em through outlaw country to our holding pens. That's risky. We could lose some of 'em." He stopped and rubbed his chin as he considered the options. "I'll give ya $30 for them two and $150 for the lot in here."

"$40 apiece for them two and I'll accept $150 for the group. You always move stock through outlaw country, ain't nothin' new there."

Tom and Gerald exchanged looks and started to walk towards their horses.

"Too rich for us, fellas," Gerald announced. "Hope them other buys ya got lined up are serious."

"But...hey, Pa! Where're they goin'?"

"Shut up Frank," Pa growled at him. "Fine!" he called out to the disappearing money. "You fellas are robbin' me blind but ya got me backed into a fence here. Fine. $30 apiece for them two and $170 for the group."

"$25 apiece and $160, final offer."

Mathison sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Deal."

An hour later, the Mathisons were standing in a huddle and counting their money. They seemed pleased.

"Just wait until your brothers get back from huntin'!" the old geezer hooted, "they'll be downright floored. Hooeee! I thought them Duncan boys were better at this than that!"

Driving the herd through the narrow gullies on their way across the mountain, the Duncan boys were thrilled to pieces.

"Can you believe it?" Gerald asked his younger brother, "That old hoot must be losin' it. This is the finest bunch a' yearlings I've seen in a decade."

Tom chuckled and eyed the copper filly with admiration. "They're gonna bring a pretty penny alright. So much so, I might just be able to afford to keep one of 'em."

This next leg of the journey was not as bad as the previous one. The horses were not pushed quite so hard and they were given more time to graze and recover from the night's journey before being expected to move on again. It was still difficult going for the tender hooves of the yearlings but all of them were beginning to toughen up in more ways than one.

Two evenings into the trip, the brothers were sitting down to a small campfire while the horses grazed nearby. Everyone was feeling more relaxed and getting ready to commence their night drive when Gerald noticed dust rising into the air some distance off. He gave his brother a smack on the arm and Tom looked up with a scowl.

"What?" he grumbled.

Gerald pointed a chin in the direction of the dust trail.

"Oh," Tom noticed. "Shit."

The two men quickly gathered up their rifles just in case the company wasn't welcome. Both glanced back at the herd of yearlings to make sure they were secure in the natural corral and not likely to be easily run off. Then they faced forward again and waited for company to arrive.

"Maybe they didn't actually see us," Tom hoped, though not too convinced of that himself.

"They haven't seen us," Gerald assured him. "They're following our trail from yesterday. It's gonna lead them right to us."

"Shit," Tom griped again. "Coffee's still on. Just act natural, like we're supposed to be here and we can offer 'em coffee."

"Yeah right," Gerald grumbled. "Just be ready in case they start askin' too many questions."

The dust trail soon developed into two horsemen coming at a casual lope towards the makeshift campsite. The brothers squinted at them as they approached, trying to decipher tin badges or anything else that might give them some idea as to who their visitors were. No clues were forthcoming so the brothers simply waited until the horsemen trotted up to the gathering. They sat their horses, all of them covered in dust and sweat, and scrutinized the trespassers.

"Howdy gents," Gerald greeted the new-comers. "How about joining us for some coffee? Looks like you've had a hard ride."

The two horsemen continued to study the campers. They looked at each other, nodded and then stepped down from their saddles.

"Alright," stated the ugly one. "coffee sounds fine."

"Good, good!" Tom smiled and began digging out extra cups. "Come. Sit yerselves down, relax."

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" one of the horsemen asked as they continued to stand by their horses.

Both brothers tensed.

"I donno," Gerald answered as nonchalantly as he could. "We get around a lot. Maybe..."

"Yeah," the same ugly horsemen continued, and he brightened up, pointing at the younger brother. "Duncan! You're Tom Duncan."

The brothers turned and stared at the horsemen, trying to look past the grime and the sweat.

"Lobinskie?" Tom asked. "That you?"

"Yeah," the ugly one stated while his companion sent him a quizzical look. "but drop the Lobinskie will ya? I'm just plain Lobo now."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Tom came forward to shake Lobo's hand. "Good to see ya. Whatcha been up to lately."

"Well, you know I been running with Devil's Hole for a few years now," Lobo informed him. "Not a bad livin'. Better than bein' out on yer own."

"Yeah, ain't that the truth," Tom agreed. "Hey, ah this is my brother Gerald."

"Howdy."

"Howdy."

"Lobo and I used to run cattle down South Dakota way," Tom explained to his brother. "Did alright until the local law found our stock pens." he started laughing. "We had to high-tail it outa there or we'd a been hung up right on the spot."

"Yeah," Lobo agreed. "This here's Hank. He's ridin' Devil's Hole too."

"Howdy, Hank."

"Howdy," Hank greeted the brothers. "Didn't you say somethin' about some coffee? We've been riding most of the day, could use a cup."

"Oh sure!" Tom poured them both a cup and handed them over.

Hank and Lobo still continued to stand by their animals as they accepted the beverages. The gazes of both newcomers couldn't help but drift over to the remuda of young horses. Tom and Gerald made sure their rifles were handy. Lobo and Tom might know each other but that didn't guarantee safe passage—not in this part of the country.

"Fine horses ya got there," Hank noticed. "Where'd ya get 'em?"

"We just bought them broomtails off a rancher over Carbondale way," Gerald informed them. "Gonna break 'em out and re-sell them. A bit of a project for the summer."

"Uh huh."

Hank started walking over to the herd, leading his own horse along with him. Gerald and Tom were feeling nervous. Was this going to turn into a gunfight?

Hank took a look at the animals, spat into the dirt and then returned to the group while drinking his coffee. Lobo looked at him, waiting for his opinion.

"Naw, they're all yearlings," he said. "The Hole's got no use for yearlings."

"That's a shame," Gerald commented, "We could have given ya a real good deal."

Lobo and Hank sent him a look that suggested he was an idiot. Who had said anything about paying for them?

"Ya know yer in Devil's Hole territory, don't ya?" Hank asked the brothers. "The boss gets a bit twitchy when strangers come ridin' through our lands."

"Oh yeah, I know," Gerald agreed. "but we don't mean no harm to you fellas. We're on business of our own. You can let Heyes know that he don't havta worry about us."

"Well, I would," Hank told him. "Exceptin' Heyes and the Kid ain't runnin' things here no more."

"They're not?" both brothers were surprised, not sure if this was good or bad. "Where are they?"

Both outlaws shrugged. "Who knows," Lobo commented. "They got other plans these days."

"Oh," Tom was momentarily speechless. "So's Wheat runnin' things now?"

"Naw," it was Lobo's turn to spit, "Santana's back. He's lookin' for some more men for a big job he's plannin' if either of you's interested."

"Oh, ah..." both brothers had paled slightly under their own layer of grime at the name of the Mexican bandit. "No, no," Tom shuffled. "We kinda got other plans ya know." He nodded towards the remuda. "Ah, I thought Jim Santana was doin' time."

"He was," Lobo agreed. "he got out."

"Oh."

Hank and Lobo finished their coffees, tossed the remnants into the fire and turned to re-mount their horses.

"How much longer you boys figure you'll need to get outa Devil's Hole territory?" Lobo asked as he settled in his saddle.

"Oh ah..." the brother's exchanged looks.

"I'm sure we'll be well on our way by this evening," Gerald informed them. "You tell ole' Jim he don't need be concerned about us. We'll be outa his way real soon."

"Good," Lobo agreed. "If you're still snoopin' around here by Wednesday Big Jim is gonna wanna know the reason why. Ya understand?"

"Yeah, of course," Tom assured him. "We'll be long gone. Ah, what day is today?"

"Monday," Hank informed him.

Both horsemen tipped their hats and turned their horses away from the camp.

"Best get movin', boys," Lobo told them. "Good luck with them yearlings."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Be seein' ya."

The two horses galloped off and the brothers both released a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Damn, that was close," Gerald cursed. "You say you used to run with that reprobate?"

"Yeah," Tom confirmed. "He can be one mean son-of-a-bitch too. It was worth losing our last string of steers just ta get away from 'im."

"I bet," Gerald observed. "C'mon, let's get outa here. Bad enough dealing with Heyes, but I don't want any part of Big Jim Santana. That guy's crazy."

"You got that right, brother."

Once settled at the Duncans' holding pens, the horses were given a day to acclimate

to their surroundings before Tom and Gerald got to work. The second morning after their arrival, the horses were nibbling their hay in the corral, when they heard the door to the line shack open. The bay colt lifted his head and sniffed the air. Smelling the humans, he moved off to the other side of the corral with the other horses trailing behind him.

Karma smelled them, too, but she continued to eat, keeping a close eye on the two men approaching. Wariness and mistrust were becoming her constant companions, but she liked her food. The older man was carrying a load of firewood in his arms; the other had a halter over his shoulder, a lariat in one hand, and two sticks in another. He was watching her. She snorted at the sight of the rope and backed off to join her herd.

The men had treated them decently on the drive, not pushing too hard, allowing the horses rest, and giving them access to good pasture and water. But despite it all, the animals were suspicious of the unfamiliar humans and their presence made the horses nervous. The yearlings began milling around  
on the far side of the fence.

Tom entered an empty corral and dropped the cut wood at his feet. He pulled a small hand ax from his back pocket and quickly shaved off several smaller pieces of wood for kindling. Soon he had a large fire going. Gerald put the two branding irons he was holding into the fire to heat up. Neither iron had a fancy brand attached, they were simply straight irons with one purpose. To destroy the yearlings' existing brands. The Duncans had done this many times before.

Gerald entered the horses' corral and shook out the loop on his lariat. The horses immediately panicked and ran helter-skelter about the pen. Keeping his eye on the handsome copper filly, Gerald settled his rope neatly over Karma's neck and she balked wildly as she felt it tighten. He kept tension  
on the line and walked slowly to her, hand over hand, talking quietly. She pulled back against the tightness of the line, but her ears flickered back and forth at his words and she allowed him to slip the halter over her head without much fuss; she had been gently handled before and it held no fear  
for her. Gerald picked up the lead tied to the halter and slipped off the lariat from around her neck. She relaxed as the terrifying snake was removed. He led her through a narrow chute into the second corral but kept her well away from the fire.

"Gerry, get ready to twitch that bitch."

Tom walked over to where they stood and he slipped one end of a soft rope through the halter's ring under her chin and handed it to his brother. Gerald reached up and seized one of Karma's ears, brutally twisting it. She was shocked by the pain and the surprise, planting her feet as he held her halter and the end of the rope. She was irate but she couldn't think about anything except the pain in her ear. Tom walked to her hind end. He quickly tied a slipknot into the rope and lifted her right hind foot before she could think about what he was doing. She was trembling with fear. He slipped the loop around her ankle and dropped her hoof.

"Now, pull!"

Gerald pulled the rope with all his strength as he let go of Karma's ear. Her hind leg came off the ground and Tom shoved her hard on the hip. Before she knew what they were doing, she was sinking to the ground.

"Sit on her neck! Sit on her! Keep hold of that damned rope," yelled Tom.

Gerald sat down directly behind her head and covered her eyes with his hands. Karma was terrified and tried to get up but she couldn't with the heavy weight on her neck and her back leg pulled tight against her belly. She screamed in rage and squirmed with all her strength, but she was  
trapped.

Tom ran back over to the fire and, using a heavy mitt, picked up one of the straight irons. The end of it glowing bright red even though it was a sunny day. He hurried to his brother and the filly. Without any hesitation, he dragged the scorching hot metal through the lines of the old brand completely obliterating it. Karma thrashed crazily with her forelegs but couldn't find purchase. She once again smelt her own flesh melting under the branding iron.

"Let her go, Gerry."

Gerald jumped up, holding onto the lead, but Karma scrambled to her feet. She began kicking out her hind legs trying to rid herself of the scalding pain and tried throwing her head to pull the lead away. The two brothers hung on tight and chuckled at her distress.

"We'll get the hardest one outta the way first. Walk her around for a while; then get her snubbed," said Tom, returning the iron to the fire to reheat for the next victim.

Gerald walked the frightened filly around and around the pen until she began to relax slightly. He opened a gate and led her into a third pen and continued walking.

She was still blowing loud snorts through her nose. The other horses watched from the first corral sensing her nervousness and fear. Finally, she started to take stock of her surroundings. This pen was the last in a row and it was slightly different from the others. It was nearly twice the size of the last one, the fence was much higher, and in the center of it was a tall post sunk deeply into the heavy sand. Gerald tied her tightly to the post. She couldn't move her head very far, but she stood quietly as she knew she was supposed to do. Her humans had trained her well and, in her fear and confusion, she fell back on that training; waiting patiently at the post.

Tom left the corral and walked over to the tack room, returning with a saddle and bosal. Gerald stood by the filly and stroked her soothingly, trying to win her confidence back, but she wasn't buying it. Every time he reached out to her, she pinned her ears back and bared her teeth. She was  
outraged at the treatment she was receiving and she longed for a chance to sink her teeth into this man and savage him.

Her attention was so focused on Gerald that she didn't notice Tom approaching her again. Tom put the saddle on the ground and picked up the saddle pad, rubbing it up and down her body. She tensed at first, but soon relaxed to the pleasant sensation. She'd been sacked out before and had always enjoyed it. After everything she'd gone through, she craved comfort.

He slid the pad onto her back and patted her, before turning away to pick up the saddle. Tom turned back with the saddle in his arms and she spooked at the swaying girth and dangling latigos, trying to sidestep away, but Gerald was on the other side of her pushing on her hip. Her attention on Gerald,  
Tom slipped the saddle on her back and snugged the girth around her belly before she could protest.

The two brothers backed away and left the filly alone with the strange, heavy object on her. She tried to turn her head to look at it, but she could only catch a glimpse. She kicked out several times and attempted to hop up and down, but the post kept her in place. Finally, she ignored it. If she couldn't rid herself of the horrid object, she'd simply pretend it wasn't there.

She stood quietly in the hot sun, unhappy and brooding on the ugly treatment she'd received. These humans were awful! Not at all like the kind lady human who had brought her treats and scratched her neck. She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve this punishment and her confusion made her afraid.

Later in the day, the two men returned. Karma eyed them warily as they came through the gate and crossed over to her. Tom slipped the rawhide bosal over her nose and pulled the headstall over her ears tossing the reins on her neck. She tried to twist away, but her head was held tightly to the post. She snorted as Tom tightened the girth slightly and nodded to Gerald. Tom bent his knee and lifted his lower leg as his brother reach down, cupping Tom's knee and ankle, and boosting him into the saddle.

Karma struggled floundering about, swinging her hind end from side to side. How dare they!

"Cut her loose, Gerry!" said Tom, settling himself deeply into the center of the saddle. This one was going to be a firecracker and he knew it.

Gerald cut the rope binding Karma to the post. She lifted her head, surprised to be free, and Tom yanked her nose to one side and then the other throwing her off balance. He squeezed with his legs to drive her away from the post and then he dug in his rowel spurs.

Her response was instantaneous, she leapt off her forelegs and drove them down into the sand, stiffening her shoulders and kicking out her hind legs. Tom hung on easily, long experienced at breaking young horses.

Karma was furious, she bucked and twisted, tucking her head down between her legs, but she couldn't shake the man. His laughter drove her on and she felt something snap deep inside her heart. A blind rage seized her, and she reared wildly as her rider cruelly drove her forward with his spurs. She tried everything she could think of shake him off but he hung on like a tick on an old hound dog, driving her forward again and again until, in desperation, she galloped madly across the pen.

Tom, thinking she was going to swerve to the right or the left, sat back in the saddle readying himself  
for a sharp turn; instead, Karma gathered her hind legs under her and lifted off the ground. She crashed her forelegs through the top two rails, shattering them, and her momentum carried her up and over the remaining fence rails.

Tom was thrown forward as she lifted off the ground and nearly unseated; then he was struck hard across the chest by the broken fencing and swept from the saddle. He landed hard on the far side of the fence, rolling over several times, before coming to a stop. The last thing he saw, was the filly galloping off with his good saddle still clinging to her back.

The young filly galloped on and on as though the demons from Hell itself were chasing her to the ends of the earth. She didn't care if she was being followed or not, she just wanted out of there, away from those men, away from the pain in her thigh and away from this strange apparatus attached to her back! Occasionally she gave a buck trying to dislodge it but it wasn't going anywhere. After a while even the flapping of the stirrups banging against her sides ceased to concern her and she simply galloped on.

Finally, the fear in her heart settled down and she stopped on high ground to take a look behind her. She stood there, her whole body heaving with the exertion of her run, and she stared, eyes wide, ears up and nostrils flaring, looking for any sign of pursuit. There wasn't any. She snorted, gave a good shake, startling herself with the noise and feel of the saddle. She moved on not knowing where she was going, but knowing she had to go somewhere.

By mid-afternoon she came across a creek that was deep enough to still have water flowing in it. She was cautious, knowing instinctively that this could be dangerous for her. Predators stalked the watering holes, laying in ambush for some unsuspecting horse to put in an appearance. Snakes weren't the only things that ate horses.

She stopped on the edge of the clearing and drew air into her nostrils to pick up any information that might be floating round. She didn't detect anything alarming and turned her attention to the cool water quietly flowing past her, just yards from where she was standing. She licked her lips in anticipation but still she hesitated.

One step out onto the bank, nothing happened. She lifted her head and scanned the far bank but nothing moved. She took another step and still nothing happened. That was it, she couldn't wait any longer. She walked out quickly, stepping into the clear water and dropping her head she began to drink greedily.

When she had swallowed five or six big gulps she raised her head again and with the liquid dripping from her closed mouth she did another quick look around. All was still quiet. She licked her lips again, sending water cascading down to splash back into the stream. Her nose quickly followed it and she drew in even more of the refreshing fluids.

Finally, having drunk her fill she splashed her way over to the far bank and trotted straight out onto the mesa to graze. Luck was with the filly in this manoeuver. She could easily have been bushwhacked out there in the open but having had her drink in safety, it didn't occur to her to double check before heading out onto the grass. Fortunately for her, she got away with it.

The other thing in her favor was that Tom Duncan had placed a soft bosal on her head rather than a full bridle and rigging. It was comfortable for her to carry around with her and did not impede her grazing at all. As long as she could learn to keep the trailing rope from getting entangled in her legs she would be alright.

The saddle was another matter. It didn't really fit her back very comfortably and, though she was getting accustomed to it being there, she was gradually becoming aware of soreness in certain areas where the saddle was rubbing against her hide. As the day wore on, the soreness was becoming more distressful but since there was nothing she could do about it she tried to ignore it.

Karma grazed with relative contentedness until the shadows began to lengthen and evening was closing in upon her. Again she felt instinctual nervousness take over and she knew she was in a dangerous situation. A horse alone out on the open range was in enough of a dire strait during the day light hours, but once night time took over chances of survival became very dicey.

She didn't know what to do. Not having been born on the range, she didn't learn from her mother or from the other herd mares how to hide herself from predators, all she knew was that she needed to. She again headed for cover but then she felt even more unsettled having high rocks and embankments looming over her in the dark, potential hiding places for numerous unknown terrors.

She got herself under a ledge and stayed there, facing outwards in case anything tried to make a run at her. It was the worst night of her short life, even worse than that night when those strange men had come and disturbed their sleep. That night things had happened so fast and the yearlings were having to deal with it before they had time to think.

On this night, Karma's fears far outweighed the reality and she spent the whole of the night hours, shaking and sweating from imagined foes. Her heart would leap and start beating twice as hard every time the coyotes sounded out their evening serenade, letting the world know that they were on the hunt. She would back up deeper under the ledge and stand with head down and limbs trembling, dreading that something that truly did eat horses would find her and make a meal.

When dawn finally came she was still alive, but she was exhausted. She needed water again and grass so she took the chance and left her protective ledge and made her way out onto the mesa again. This time however, she knew something was different. Her head shot up and her ears just about jumped off the top of her skull. Her nostrils flared as she picked up a very familiar scent on the early morning air.

She whinnied loud and shrill and took off at a gallop, breaking cover without hesitating and running straight at the small band of wild mustangs. Every head in the herd was already raised and looking in her direction wondering what kind of a fool would sound off like that, letting every predator in the area  
know where they were located.

As soon as the copper filly broke cover, the lead mare laid her ears back and rushed at her with every intention of ripping the hide from her frame. Karma put on the brakes and quickly swerved out of the older mare's way; she kept on running when she realized that the other horse was still after her.

Karma didn't understand. Why wouldn't they be happy to see her? Why was she being chased off? Surely they must know the dangers that lurked out here for a horse on her own. Weren't they going to allow her to join the band? That was unheard of! Didn't they know who she was? Didn't they know she was special? Apparently not.

Fortunately, the lead mare only chased her so far before backing off and returning to the herd. Karma stopped and turned as well, hoping that she would be invited to join them. But the body language from the bay lead mare let her know that she wasn't welcome.

Well! Karma had no intentions of leaving. How dare that mare treat her that way? Didn't she understand how special Karma was? Still, the mare was considerably bigger than she was and the filly noticed the older horse carried the scars of numerous fights. Karma had no intention of being scarred any further and decided not to challenge the mare; however, now that she had found her own kind again she wasn't going to be so easy to chase off. She waited just far enough away so that the mare wouldn't come after her, but not so far as to be totally isolated. The morning dragged by. The filly was thirsty, but she would have to go through the herd to get back to that stream or leave them altogether and circle around. Neither option pleased her so she dropped her head and grazed, picking up what moisture she could from the damp grass.

Morning slid into afternoon and Karma continued to graze, but her one eye was always on that lead mare. The other horses in the herd tended to ignore her until one of the foals would allow its curiosity to take over and would try to come out to the interesting stranger and say 'hello'. Unfortunately either the foal's dam or the lead mare would quickly intercept the youngster and send it in a long-legged retreat back to the brood.

Karma continued to wait and to graze. She could be patient, she wasn't leaving. Occasionally she would glance over at the stallion on the far side of the mesa but he showed no interest in her. He knew to leave this initiation up to the females and he simply carried on grazing; looking splendid until his particular talents of protecting or love-making were required.

Evening was beginning to slide down again and Karma was getting nervous. She didn't want to spend another night alone. The small band slowly began to move off the mesa towards the stream. The lead mare giving direction, knowing they all needed time to drink before night fully came down around them. Karma watched from a safe distance, then followed, making sure she kept her eye on that mare.

The band drank, spreading out along the bank and dropping their heads into the liquid, knowing that they were safe and protected. Karma felt her thirst attack her again and she licked her lips in anticipation. She wasn't used to having to wait her turn. She was used to being the princess and it was others who waited for her.

But not this time; whenever she took one step too close that lead mare would come snaking at her with ears back and teeth bared and Karma would have to hop to it quickly to avoid a blood-letting. Finally everyone else had their fill of water and began to make their way back to the mesa. Karma waited until the stream was clear and quickly trotted down to the water's edge to gulp her fill and then re-join the others for a night in the open.

As the light began to fade Karma still watched that lead mare, hoping to see the invitation to come in, but none came. The filly was getting nervous again. She wasn't totally on her own this time but still in a rather vulnerable spot if a predator came lurking. She paced back and forth, keeping that mare in her sights but making sure she didn't over-step her welcome.

Darkness came down and blotted out the other horses from Karma's sight. She could hear them and smell them but other than that she still felt very much alone. She spent another long, anxious night hoping that nothing was going to attack her from behind and turn her into a meal. What a waste! She had so much more to offer than that.

A gray, cool dawn gradually brought the herd back into existence and Karma snorted in greeting as she grazed in an effort to appear non-nonchalant. The lead mare was again watching her and exhibited a certain amount of disappointment that the copper filly was still there; and what was that strange thing on her back?

The mare stood silently, watching the filly. Karma felt her heart give a skip as hope burst forth but she sure wasn't going to show her desire to this mare. She continued to graze but still kept an eye on the boss and waited. And grazed, and waited.

Karma's head shot up, her ears pricked as her nostrils quivered with a silent nicker. The lead mare had turned away from her. It was a subtle move, probably not even noticeable to someone not familiar with the equine language, but Karma knew it and she instantly responded. The mare swished her tail and casually sauntered into the midst of her band while Karma trotted over and joined up with the wild mustangs.

Instantly, it was a free for all. All the mares and yearlings were bumping one another out of the way in order to be the first to check out the new member. Noses touched, and necks arched in the equine version of shaking hands. Squeals reverberated around the mesa and front hooves struck out dangerously, but they hadn't been intended to find their mark.

Everyone checked out the hunk of leather sitting on the filly's back; none of them had ever been that close up to one of these things before. Mares and foals alike sniffed it, rubbed their faces against it and finally bit it in an attempt to decide what it was. It seemed innocuous enough though and everyone soon moved off to continue with their grazing.

Karma settled in as well and despite the growing discomfort being caused by the saddle, she dropped her head and started to graze herself. The stallion, now that she had been accepted by the boss, was showing her a little bit more attention. It did not take any time at all for him to realize that she was still too young to warrant his attention so he returned to his own grazing and the art of looking splendid.

Ten days later, Sid and Josh were sitting their horses on the top of a ridge spying on the herd of mustangs from inside the tree line. These two men had been partners for a number of years, making a living in various different ventures many of which were on-going and over-lapping. Rounding up the numerous bands of wild mustangs was just one of their livelihoods but it was lucrative enough. Both men enjoyed working with the young horses so while they were still young and able they kept it going.

They knew this band quite well, having brought them in on more than one occasion in the past. The paint stallion tended to put some pretty nice foals on the ground and since he had between ten and twelve good mares rounding them up every summer to cull out the two year old colts was well worth the effort. It suited both parties quite nicely since the wranglers only took the colts and left the fillies to become breeding stock for the future. In this way the stallion didn't have to worry about any of his sons getting to the age of maturity and challenging their sire for rights to the herd. There were enough other stallions looking to increase the size of their own bands without having to deal with insurrection from within.

Sometimes Sid and Josh wondered if the paint stallion actually understood the process and saw the advantage to the deal because every summer it got easier and easier to round them up and get them into the home pens. It was as though they had an unwritten contract and everyone was happy. On this day, Sid, who had the spy glass, first noticed something different in the herd. Adjusting the focus, he took a closer look and whistled.

"What?" Josh asked, suddenly interested.

Sid offered him the glass and pointed. "Take a look about mid-herd, a little bit behind old Lucy."

Josh lifted the glass and searched the herd where instructed. He froze and gave a low whistle himself.

"Well, somebody sure lost a fine animal," he stated the obvious. "Wonder if there's a brand."

"Only one way to find out," Sid told him. "Let's go get 'em."

Josh put the glass away in his saddle bags and the two men split up. They casually rode down the hill towards the band keeping to a walk or gentle jog, not wanting the spook the wild horses into a stampede. The mustangs were used to this annual event but they were still wild horses and would take to the hills in an instant if the lead mare decided it was time.

So the two men came down quietly, pushing the herd from either side to get them moving down towards the holding pens. All the heads came up at once and watched the wranglers coming towards them, but Karma seemed to be the only one who was really nervous about it. The younger horses were taking the cue from the older ones and the older ones were saying that this was not something to get upset about.

Karma, however, had already had too many bad experiences with both humans on foot and the horse/human combination. She didn't trust either of them. She was very nervous, trotting around inside the herd, and she didn't care what the others were saying; what did they know? She didn't want to leave the safety of the herd but she didn't want to stay there either, so succumbing to the pressure of the on-coming horsemen, she galloped out in front and got the whole herd moving.

Lucy was quick to catch up with her and gave her a quick bite on the rump to remind her who was boss. Our princess was insulted at such rude behavior, but not wanting to leave the herd, she accepted the reprimand and dropped back into line. Lucy took over the lead, slowing the band down to a more reasonable pace, being well aware that there were young foals and older mares who would have found Karma's rate of speed impossible to keep up with. They might even injure themselves in an effort to do so.

So Lucy led the herd in to the holding pens, knowing full well that within a few hours the majority of them would be set free to carry on with their own routine. On top of that, those unruly and obnoxious two-year-olds would finally be gotten rid of and the herd could enjoy the rest of the summer in relative peace.

Once inside the pens, Karma would not settle. She trotted around the enclosure, wild-eyed and snorting, causing discontent throughout the herd. Lucy had had about enough of her. Finally, trapping her in a corner, the older mare let the filly have it with a number of swift, hard kicks to the ribcage.

Karma was shocked. Why was everybody turning on her? Didn't they realize the danger they were all in? But the blows kept coming at her and try as she might to get out of the corner, she was truly trapped and had to accept the punishment. The one thing that saved her from too many bruises was the fact that she still had that cursed saddle strapped to her back. She got battered, but not too bruised.

Once Lucy finally let her go, Karma just stood in the corner and nursed her wounded pride. Everyone else had finally settled down and there didn't appear to be any danger at the moment. Karma didn't trust these pens and she knew that sooner or later those men with ropes that turned into snakes were going to put in an appearance and the pain would start all over again.

Sure enough, they came. Karma tensed and started desperately looking around for a way out. None presented itself. Just as before, the men with ropes began to separate individual animals from the herd and drive them through an opened gate and into another pen. Karma stayed put in her corner and hoped that no one would notice her.

Unfortunately, the copper filly was actually the main focus. Once the five two-year-old colts had been separated, the two men both zeroed in on the yearling filly and put pressure on her to get out of that corner. Karma tried to resist. As the men got closer to her, she backed further into the fence but that didn't help her at all. That dreaded rope snaked out and whacked the fence behind her and she reared, clawing at the railings of the corral, trying to break through or climb out.

Neither happened; the holding pens had been built intentionally to contain wild horses and one desperate yearling filly wasn't going to do too much damage to it. She tried her hardest to break through, staying up on her hind legs and pawing at the stout poles, but all she accomplished was to chip off some bark. The roped snaked at her again and she jumped away from the sound of it hitting the wood. She stopped again and turned her bum to the man coming towards her.

She tried to turn back, to get away, but suddenly he was there, standing in her path. The rope shot directly towards her. She shied away from it and stopped again, not wanting to go in the direction that she was being pushed. But she felt that 'snake' actually hit her on her hind end and she jumped forward, kicking out at it. She felt it whack her again and she bolted. Suddenly, the fence opened up and another rope whacked the poles in front of her and before she knew it she turned and found herself in the corral with the five two-year-olds. Dagnabbit!

Much to the despair of the six youngsters, the gate to the other corral was opened up and the rest of the herd were free to go. Lucy trotted out the opening with the other mares, foals, and yearling filly's following and the stallion bringing up the rear. The herd headed back out to open range.

The mood in the second corral instantly escalated into a wild panic. Finally someone was listening to the filly, finally someone believed her that this was not a good thing. Finally, but too late. The six animals galloped around their enclosure desperately looking for a way out, including the one Karma had tried and failed at; climbing over or breaking through the stout wooden poles. The colts didn't have any more luck than she'd had and the air was rent with the frantic whinnying of the contained horses.

The herd itself paid them no heed and continued on towards freedom. If anything at all, the freed animals simply picked up speed and, transferring from a trot, up into a slow gallop they disappeared into a cloud of dust without so much as a fond farewell or a 'see ya later'.

The young colts were devastated. The herd was their home, their family and they'd been abandoned to this strange place. They finally settled down but stood together in one of the corners and tried to give one another comfort by staying in close proximity.

Karma stood close by, but a little apart. This was not new to her. The loss of the herd at this point was not her main concern. Sometimes knowing the future is worse than not knowing and she stood, alone and anxious, waiting for the next rope to drop.

She didn't have long to wait either. One of the men was soon back in the corral and heading towards her. She arched her neck and blew out her stress. She didn't wait for the rope this time, but quickly moved away from him and when the opening in the fence presented itself she nipped in there and found herself alone once again. She stopped in the middle of the corral and just stood there, trembling, anxious, and awaiting her fate.

On the other side of the corral, Sid and Josh were watching the filly through the narrow slits between the poles.

"She sure is a looker," Josh commented quietly. "A little beat up, but some fine breeding there; it's written all over her."

"Were ya able to see a brand anywhere?" Sid enquired.

"No," Josh admitted. "Doesn't mean she don't have one. She so covered in dirt it's hard to tell.. First thing we gotta do is get that saddle offa her. Looks like it's been there for a while—no tellin' what kinda shape her back is in."

"Hmm," Sid didn't sound too enthusiastic but he knew as well as his partner did that the saddle had to come off. "Well, let's get to it."

The partners walked around the corrals to the other side and entered into a circular round pen with a snubbing post in the middle of it. There were a number of ropes of varying length lying on the ground around the post along with a large piece of cloth all ready for use.

Josh quietly opened a gate and stepped into the corral and instantly had Karma's attention. He left the gate open and Sid stood by and out of the way while Josh quietly pushed the filly into the new pen. She trotted through the open gate and until she came to the far side, where she stopped and turned to face her oppressors.

Josh came back into the round pen, closed the gate, and the two men stood assessing the situation.

"Well," Josh finally voiced his opinion. "obviously she's been handled before but, by her attitude, I'd say none too gently."

"I'd lay good money that she's stolen," Sid commented. "She's got real fine breeding so I'd expect the breeders knew what they had and what they were doin'. Breakin' her out as a yearling? Only somebody wanting to get her broke quick and flip her would do that."

"I find we are in agreement," Josh seconded. "C'mon, we gotta get that saddle of her and we don't have time to play nice."

"Nope," Sid nodded. "so let's just get her done and get it over with."

Nodding, Josh moved to the post and picked up the lariat. He stood there for a moment, shaking it out and getting the loop ready for a toss. Karma watched him anxiously, blowing nervously, and pawing the ground. Every nerve was on edge, every muscle ready to react. This was new, she didn't know how to respond. The human was handling that snake, looking like he was getting it ready for something, but he wasn't looking at her and not making any aggressive moves towards her.

She didn't know what to make of it until quite unexpectedly the human twirled the snake around his own head a couple of times and sent it flying straight at her. She pivoted away from it, trying to get her legs organized enough to get into a gallop, but she felt that thing slide down her neck and settle upon her shoulders.

She ran faster to get away, but she felt it tighten and slide up to her poll. She couldn't breathe and was jerked around to face the human whether she wanted to or not. She reared and bellowed her anger, trying to pull back, even though she knew from past experience that it was no use. They had her good to rights and the more she fought, the tighter the rope became, and the closer she was brought up to that snubbing post.

Finally she stood, her wind cut off and her head so tightly snubbed that she couldn't rear or fight anymore. She stood trembling with her legs splayed apart and her heart threatening to beat its way out of her chest. She eyed these two humans, afraid of what was to come next, when one of them picked up the length of cloth and before she could react to him, he'd neatly placed it over her eyes and tied it snug.

Totally blind now, she stood in anticipation of the worst. She felt hands upon her, hands that didn't hurt, but caressed, and voices that were soft and encouraging. Her ears flicked back and forth, not sure what to make of all this. Humans were tricky so she didn't let her guard down. Sure enough, she felt something wrap around her off-hind foot. It tightened around her fetlock, lifting that leg off the ground, and somehow securing it there. She tried to kick a couple of times but it went nowhere and so she stood on three trembling legs and waited for the end to come.

Again she heard soft voices and felt hands caressing her. A hand came up the side of her neck, petting her, and scratching her behind the ears. She was tense, nostrils flaring, but all the hand did was slip under the headstall of the bosal and push the whole contraption over her ears to land with a soft thud on the ground. She felt, but didn't feel something touching that cursed hunk of leather on her back. She could hear it creaking and moving and felt something tugging at her as Josh tried to release the girth. Karma tried to get away from it but could only succeed in hopping around. With her forth leg up in a sling, she was at risk of losing her balance and toppling over. She remembered that happening before and didn't want a repeat. As bad as this situation was, it would only be worse if she ended up on her back on the ground. She trembled and braced herself and waited while the tugging continued.

"Finally," Josh mumbled as he got the cinch strap to gradually loosen. It had been so caked with dirt he'd had difficulty releasing the knot.

He let the girth drop and taking hold of the saddle he pulled it and the blanket off in one swift motion. Karma sucked wind as she felt the searing pain of skin tearing. She tried to duck out from under that pain, almost falling to the ground. Josh scrambled out of her way until she stopped thrashing and was able to get her balance back again.

"Whoa, easy girl," he soothed her. "I know that hurt. Believe it or not, we're trying to help you. So just take it easy."

He patted her and stroked her and spoke quietly to her. Her ears flicked back and forth in response to his voice. It reminded her of those happy days when she was with her mother and the humans would come and talk to her, giving her tasty treats. She was a princess and all those around her had known and accepted that. She longed for those days to come back. It was her right.

But here she was; snubbed up to a post, blindfolded, and trying to stay standing on three legs. What kind of treatment was this for a princess? Didn't they know she could barely breathe? She waited. The pain in her back gradually subsided and she had to admit that it felt wonderfully cool now that the saddle was gone. She wondered what was going to happen next.

"Jeeze," Sid commented, "what a mess. We're not gonna be able to do anything with her until those sores heal."

"She's gonna need time to settle down anyways," Josh pointed out. "It's going to take time to get her to trust us now anyways. Besides, I don't want to put another saddle on her back until next spring. Give this baby a chance to grow up."

"Yeah, I know," Sid grumbled, "another one we're gonna be feedin' through the winter. Still, I suppose the price we'll get for her will make it up. 'IF' she's not stolen and the real owners come lookin' for her."

Josh smiled. "Well, maybe they'll pay us a finder's fee for takin' such good care of their prize filly."

Sid snorted, "Yeah, right."

Josh didn't say anything but continued to smile as he carefully began applying salve to the open sores on Karma's back and girth area.

She stood quietly and accepted the treatment. It hurt but felt good at the same time and all of a sudden it occurred to her that these men weren't going to hurt her anymore. She wasn't anywhere near ready to trust them as she knew how tricky humans could be but the darkness shrouding her eyes allowed her some measure of privacy and she started to relax.

It didn't take long for Josh to finish his administrations. He gently ran his hands all over her body, getting a feel for her and to check for any more injuries. He was careful around her hindquarters even with the one leg tied up. He'd known mustangs to still be able to get a kick in if they were really serious. The horse would usually end up on the ground, but so would the person and Josh had no intentions of receiving a kick today.

The first thing he noticed was the dried blood spattered down the inside of her thigh. He creased his brow, and taking hold of her tail pulled it out of the way to get a better look. The area was covered in dried mud but he gently rubbed some of it away to see what might be revealed.

Karma tensed, not liking him being back there and doing that. She thought about kicking out but considered the consequences and decided not to.

"Easy girl," Josh soothed her, having noticed her tensing up again. "You're alright. Nobody's gonna hurt ya."

He took a closer look then turned to his partner.

"Unusual place for a brand," he commented, "but I think that's what that is—or used to be. Someone's taken a straight iron to it and blotted out the brand that was there."

Sid looked disappointed. "Just our luck; she is stolen."

Josh shrugged. "Yeah, but I can't read the brand," he said, "so if no one comes lookin', it's finder's keeper's as far as I'm concerned."

Sid smiled.

**Wyoming 1892**

Heyes paced. Joe watched him. Curry wrote a letter to his wife.

"I'm sure we'll get her back once we're done with this job," Joe tried to console the horseless man. "At least we know where she is."

"Hmm," Heyes was not so easily convinced.

Curry just kept on with his letter. He knew there was no point in trying to placate his partner at this time. He'd had his say the evening before and Heyes had accepted the wisdom of that, so leave it alone. But Joe was still feeling guilty about his part in it and didn't know Heyes well enough to know when there was no point.

"She might even break away and come back on her own," Joe continued to speculate.

"Or head back to the Double J," Heyes pointed out. "That's her home, not here."

"Then she could be waiting for us when we get back," Joe tried to sound optimistic.

"If she makes it!" Heyes snarked back. "Anything could happen between here and there. It's a long ways for a horse on her own. She's not used to being on the open range, doesn't know how to deal with predators. Somebody could see her and snatch her up, thinkin' it's their lucky day. She could break a leg, drink poison water..."

"Heyes will you stop soundin' like an old worried mother?" Kid finally had enough. "I'm tryin' to write to Beth here. Ya got anything ya wanna say?"

"No," he grumbled, "she's your wife."

Jed shook his head and with an exasperated sigh, returned to his letter writing.

Heyes suddenly changed directions, grabbed his hat and headed for the front door. Jed was on his feet instantly and scrambled over, just barely getting there first. Heyes stopped directly in front of him and gave him an irritated look.

"What?"

"Where ya goin' Heyes?"

"What are you—my babysitter?"

"Seems like it, don't it?"

"If you must know I thought I would go over to Lom's office and see if we can get some information outa the prisoner."

"Okay, well that's a good idea," Jed agreed. "Why don't we all go?"

"I thought you were writing a letter to your wife."

"It'll wait," Jed assured him. "I can take it to the depot tomorrow when we go in to catch the train. Got lots of time to finish it this evening."

"Fine! Let's all go."

"Fine."

Joe hurried to his feet, suddenly realizing that he was being included in this. He grabbed his hat and his gunbelt and joined the partners as they were heading out the door. Five minutes later, Martha came in to the front room about to suggest lunch only to discover that she was alone in the house. She laughed to herself and shook her head with a knowing sigh. Men! Hopefully, they would all be home in time for supper.

The walk from the residential area into the main part of town was just long enough for Heyes to burn off some of his frustration. By the time they were up on the boardwalk and actually having to dodge people, well, he wasn't exactly chipper, but at least he wasn't snarking anymore. By the time they walked into the sheriff's office he was actually able to put a smile on his face.

"Hey, Lom," Heyes greeted the seated lawman. "How's your arm doing?"

"Howdy, boys," Lom greeted them and got up to grab the coffee pot. "It's alright. Doc said just to keep it covered for now and it'll heal up alright. I think Joe ended up with the worst of it. Doc thinks for sure he broke a bone in there. Are ya on something for the pain, Joe?"

"Yeah," Joe admitted. "It's helpin'. Just don't touch it."

Lom smiled and nodded. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure."

"How's our prisoner?" Jed asked. "Give ya anything to go on?"

"Not much," Lom admitted.

"Well, maybe he just doesn't like talking to law men," Heyes conjectured. "Maybe we should give it a try."

Lom shrugged as he handed out coffees. "You can if ya want," he agreed, "but I don't think he'll want to talk with either of you either. Especially you, Kid."

"Me?" Jed was all innocent. "What did I do?"

"Turned traitor," Lom answered bluntly. "Seems he heard rumors about you joining up with Morrison to help take out your old gang; he thinks you're about the lowest snake that ever slithered upon the earth."

Jed appeared honestly hurt. "Aw well, that ain't right," he grumbled. "I think it's time I set the record straight."

Lom shrugged and gestured for him to feel free. "Just leave your gun here."

"What? Do ya think I'm gonna try and help him escape?"

"You know the rules, Kid," Lom told him, "from both sides of the bars. Just leave it here."

"Yeah alright Lom," Jed agreed as he popped the colt out of his holster and placed it on the desk. "I'm just teasin' ya."

"That's fine, so long as ya do it," he looked at the other two. "What about you fellas? You want a crack at 'em too?"

Heyes grinned as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Oh, I think I'll let Kid have a chance. He's become quite assertive of late."

Lom sent him a look. Joe sighed and sat down to enjoy his coffee.

Jed made his way over to the cell where Price was laying on the bunk and listening to this whole exchange. He sent the Kid a scathing look as the ex-outlaw came up to the bars.

"Ya want a cup of coffee?" Jed asked him, offering him the cup.

"No," Price sneered at him.

"Aw, c'mon," Jed pushed. "it's good coffee. Well—it's alright coffee. For jailhouse coffee that is."

Price just stared at him.

"Okay, suit yourself," Jed relented and took a drink from the cup himself. "I hear you've picked up the wrong information about me somewhere along the line."

"Weren't wrong," Price countered him. "You turned on your friends—you and Heyes both."

"Well now that's where you're wrong," Kid countered him. "I did no such thing. Neither did Heyes. You been listenin' to the wrong folks."

Price sat up and stared at the Kid. "You gonna deny you was on that train? Ames said that Kyle said that he saw you there, side'n with the law."

"I can't deny I was on that train," Jed admitted, "but it was pure chance that Morrison and his men were on the same one. I had no idea there was a trap being laid."

Price snorted. "Right. Like I'm gonna believe that."

"It's the truth," Jed insisted. "I ain't no friend of Morrison's and that's also the truth."

"Yeah? How come Heyes got released from prison so soon?" Price pushed deeper. "He was in fer life and suddenly gets out after only five years?"

Derogatory snort from Heyes coming from the direction of the office desk.

Kid sent his partner a quick look then returned his attention to the prisoner. "He wouldn't have got any time at all if he'd been willin' to turn on his friends," Kid informed him, stretching the truth just a bit. "If you'd read the trial transcript, you'd a seen that. The judge came down on him hard 'cause he wouldn't do it. All we did was convince the governor that the sentence had been too hard and he'd done enough time. That's why he's out, not because he made any deals about turning on his friends."

Price still looked sceptical. "Yeah, well how come you come after us then? What'd we do ta you?"

Another derogatory snort from the peanut gallery.

"What did you do to us?" Kid asked as though it were an insult. "You move into our old hideout and start up business again. Now that wouldn't be so bad exceptin' ya took our name as well. We worked hard to build up a good solid reputation as the Devil's Hole Gang and then you and what's his name just decide yer gonna step in and take it over? How's that right?"

"It weren't my idea to keep the old name," Price defended himself. "I got invited to join up after the plans had already been made."

"That don't mean ya had to keep our name," Kid continued. "Besides that, me and Heyes have been workin' even harder now to become law abidin' citizens. You and what's his name, well you go in there and start op the old club again, using the same name; people are gonna start thinkin' that me and Heyes are back in business. Rumors like that could get Heyes sent back to prison lickety split, and it wouldn't be doin' me any favors either. Don't you fellas have enough of an imagination to come up with your own name?"

"Yeah, but it's right in Devil's Hole Basin," Price pointed out, getting all defensive. "What else would we call it?"

"I donno," Kid shrugged. "What about after the name of the leader? Heyes ran with the 'Plummer' gang. Then there's the 'Johnston' gang—oh but they're from Johnston County so I guess that's not much of a stretch. But you know what I mean. You fellas not got much confidence in your leader or somethin'?"

"No! He's a good leader," Price insisted. "He come up with this plan, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but it seems he didn't mind leavin' you behind."

"Well that kinda stuff happens!" Price forgot his own annoyance over that fact. "I'd follow Tom Duncan anywhere—he's a good leader!"

"Tom Duncan?" Kid asked and he smiled over towards the desk. "The Duncan brothers?"

Joe whistled. That had been neat and clean. Heyes smiled, pleased with the way his cousin had handled it. Price looked ticked off.

"Hey, that was no fair!" He complained. "You tricked me!"

"Yup," Kid agreed. "Next time come up with your own name for your gang."

Jed gave an irate Price a quick nod and then headed back to the office desk and a re-fill on his coffee cup. He pulled up a chair and sat down, grinning at his friends.

"The Duncan brothers," Heyes repeated reflectively. "Didn't I hear that the older one got lynched for horse stealing?"

"Yup," Lom confirmed that, "about three years ago." He sat back in his chair and sighed. "So, that's who's running Devil's Hole."

"And that's who's got Karma," was Heyes' contribution.

Tom Duncan nursed his second cup of coffee as he stood in the early morning chill of dawn. He was watching the copper mare eat her breakfast and smiling with satisfaction. Just goes to show; that mare was meant to be his. She even came back into his possession sporting a real fine saddle, too. Much better than the one he had lost the last time he'd seen her, and certainly better than that hunk of leather he was riding in these days.

Yeah, that was a real nice saddle. Hand-crafted with intricate tooling all throughout the skirts and stirrup leathers. It fit the mare real well, too, like it had been made for her. Tom could tell, just by looking at the seat that it was of fine, soft leather that would make for a real comfortable ride. Like sittin' in a rocking chair. He could not have been more pleased with the success of this job. Yes sir, that mare was meant to be his.

Karma was watching him from the corner of her eye as she ate the meager serving of grain they had given her. The human made her nervous. She still couldn't place him but just having his eyes upon her gave her the creeps. She swished her tail irritably as he continued to watch her until finally he threw away the dregs in his coffee cup to put his attention back to breaking camp.

Karma snorted when she finished her breakfast and gave her whole body a shake. As comfortable as her saddle was, she wasn't used to having it on all day and all night as well. The sweat that had dried under the saddle blanket was irritating her and she wished she could get into the open for a roll. She glanced wistfully over at the dew-covered grass and thought about how pleasant that would be but she didn't feel comfortable enough with these humans to make herself vulnerable like that. So she waited.

She could have untied herself during the night, but she had been tired after her exertions of the day as well as the nervous stress of her new situation. And as much as she didn't like being here, the thought of heading off into unknown lands all by herself worried her even more. The connection to the herd was a strong one even if the horses were unfamiliar. In a herd she was safe, out there by herself she was vulnerable. She stayed put.

Camp was being struck. Beds rolled up and saddlebags tied onto the backs of saddles, Girths were being tightened and bridles re-adorned for the final leg back to Devil's Hole. Tom flipped the mare's reins over her neck and grabbed hold of the horn in preparation of mounting. Karma tensed. Her whole body tightened up and she began to shake. She felt his weight in the stirrup and she tried to duck out from under him.

"Whoa," he told her, and, lickety split, his right leg was over the cantle and he was settled on her back.

She stood stock still, her legs slightly splayed, head up ears back. She blew nervously, her whole body shaking. Tom chuckled and gave her a pat on the neck. She flinched.

"By the time this ride is over, you and I will have come to an understanding," he promised her. "You'll know who's boss soon enough."

He gave her a slight squeeze with his lower leg and she jumped forward. He stayed with her easily and laughed.

"C'mon, sweetheart, straighten out," he told her. "You're fine."

He sat light in the saddle and Karma settled. She snorted and relaxed a little bit, and allowed herself to be directed to the front of the herd, her favorite place anyways, and they were on their way.

The going wasn't too bad and, though they were steadily heading up hill, it wasn't a steep grade. The horses all kept up an easy lope for a good part of the morning. Karma had settled even more and was actually enjoying the exercise again after her stresses from the evening before. She stretched out and loped along quite easily, much to her rider's delight. Indeed, Tom couldn't have been more pleased. He knew he had seen promise in this filly all those years ago. It was nice to have his opinion be proven right. Someone had taken the time to break her out real nice, too. She moved off his leg easily and had a soft, responsive mouth even when being directed by someone she didn't like.

Yes, Tom was feeling quite pleased with himself when all of a sudden the mare put on the brakes and came to a screeching halt. Tom came forward, crushing the brim of his hat against the mare's neck and very nearly being unseated. He straightened up just in time for the mare to rear and pivot away from something on the ground. Tom grabbed the horn and fought her mouth to get her under control.

"What the hell?" he yelled at her. "What in tarnation has gotten into you?!"

The other members of the gang couldn't help but pull up and laugh at the mare's antics. None of the other horses seemed too concerned and everyone just stood around, watching the show.

"You got yourself a real prize there Tom!" commented Ferguson who was old enough to be Tom's father so didn't give a damn. "Seems she don't like branches much!"

The other fellas took direction from the old hand and started to hoot and holler. They'd all been feeling a little put out about the way things had gone on this job. First off they'd lost a man, and despite the leader's apparent disdain for that individual there were others present who had actually liked Milt Price. Then the boss had somehow managed to take custody of a very fine horse. Resentment had been growing and the smouldering mood found an escape now with laughter at their boss' predicament.

Karma continued to dance and rear around the branch, snorting her fear of the creature on the ground, and her disdain for her rider. How could she let this idiot know that branches were dangerous? They had a tendency to turn into snakes, and as every horse knew, snakes eat horses! She knew they did—she'd seen it happen, well, almost! But still, she believed it and believing it made it true.

She reared and pivoted away again and once again Tom was scrambling to stay with her. He finally got the mare away from the branch and she began to settle down, but his anger and embarrassment at the situation took over and he made a big mistake. He took a solid hold on her mouth and with a loud curse, he dug in his spurs.

Memory suddenly flooded back to the copper mare. Spurs! Her human never used spurs on her, and although she had felt the rowel of them from others, there was only one man in her past that deliberately gouged her with them. Her ears went back and with a bellow of rage she leapt up into the air and came down jarringly on all fours.

Tom gasped as the shock went through his body, but he stayed with her and tried to get hold of her mouth again. She was having none of it. She knew him now and she wanted him off. She ducked her head, bucked and kicked, bellowing her anger and frustration in trying to dislodge him. Tom held on and raked her with the spurs; he wasn't going to put up with this crap from no damn horse! He didn't care how fine an animal she was. She was gonna learn who was boss.

The audience really started to whoop and cheer as the pair put on quite a show. Karma bucked and pivoted and kicked but she just couldn't get him off. Finally, she gave a wild leap into the air and hit the ground running. Her hindquarters powered underneath her, pushing her body forward in a wild gallop that sent dirt and tufts of grass flying into the group of on-lookers. They laughed even harder, enjoying the spectacle.

Karma ran, giving it all she had, the ground flying beneath her hooves. She didn't care where she was going as long as she was headed downhill. Her special human was downhill and suddenly she decided that back with him was where she wanted to be. If this bastard on her back decided to come along; well, that was his choice.

Tom however, had different ideas. He grabbed the rein low down by the bit and began to haul the mare's head around. She fought him every inch of the way, rearing and plunging in her gallop, fighting to keep going in a straight line. The man fought back, pulling even harder on her mouth, trying to force her into a circle but she was mad and wasn't giving in to him even if it meant galloping sideways. She wasn't going to give up.

Out of the blue she put on the brakes and had the satisfaction of feeling the weight of her rider shift. She grabbed the advantage and leapt to the side, getting out from under him even more. As a final farewell, she bucked, came down hard, and pivoted around, swinging him out of the saddle and sending him flying.

She did not look back. She powered into a gallop and was gone. The last thing Tom saw before he lost consciousness was that dark copper tail flying like a banner and that beautiful hand-crafted saddle disappearing in a cloud of dust.

**To Be Continued**.


End file.
